Leighton Photography & Imaging

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  • Swamp lilies growing deep in the Fakahatchee Strand. In the summertime, these can be found just about anywhere there is standing water in the Florida Everglades.
    Swamp Lilies
  • Foggy morning in Corkscrew Swamp in Naples, Florida.
    Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
  • SW Florida's Corkscrew Swamp is a remarkable wetland with a rare virgin cypress tree forest, that is now under the protection of the Audubon preserve system. The biodiversity of this region is amazing!
    Corkscrew Swamp
  • Swamp mallows are a very common member of the hibiscus family in the Everglades, as seen here in the Fakahatchee Strand.
    Swamp Mallow
  • Cypress trees along the edge of a North Florida swamp.
    Cypress Swamp
  • This interesting medium-sized wetland grasshopper can be found across most of Eastern North America as far north as Ontario. As part of the Acrididae taxonomical family, it is related to all of the grasshoppers that are best known as swarming grasshoppers - aka locusts. This one was found and photographed between Immokalee and Naples, Florida.
    Olive-green Swamp Grasshopper
  • Foggy morning in Corkscrew Swamp in Naples, Florida. The stillness of this prairie in the middle of such a huge old cypress swamp was absolutely enchanting!
    The Foggy Dew
  • Fakahatchee beaked orchids growing in the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Collier County, Florida. These suddenly appear all over the area when the swamps are low or dry in early April.
    Fakahatchee Beaked Orchids (Sacoila ..ola)
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting through swarms of flying insects in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-2
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting through swarms of flying insects in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-4
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting through swarms of flying insects in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-3
  • This beautiful black-and-white warbler is a forest and swamp-loving songbird and is the only member of the genus Mniotilta. Found across most of Eastern North America, it spends its winters in warmer climates from Texas and Florida down to northern South America. This one was found and photographed while it was hunting through swarms of flying insects in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples on a chilly November evening.
    Black-and-White Warbler-1
  • Starting off as a grey-to-greenish lichen from the humid subtropical and tropical swamps of the American Southeast and southwards, the Christmas lichen develops an unusual and surprisingly bright pigment that becomes red or hot pink on the bark or dead wood of water-loving trees such as bald cypress. This patch was found on a cypress tree growing in the Corkscrew Swamp in Southwest Florida between Naples and Fort Myers.
    Christmas Lichen
  • Starting off as a grey-to-greenish lichen from the humid subtropical and tropical swamps of the American Southeast and southwards, the Christmas lichen develops an unusual and surprisingly bright pigment that becomes red or hot pink on the bark or dead wood of water-loving trees such as bald cypress. This patch was found on a cypress tree growing in the Corkscrew Swamp in Southwest Florida between Naples and Fort Myers.
    Christmas Lichen
  • Close-up of the wiry stems of Spanish moss. Contrary to the name, Spanish moss in neither a moss, nor is it Spanish. It's a native bromeliad that is closely related to pineapples and air plants found in the tropics and subtropics. This interesting epiphytic plant is most often found hanging from live oaks in the American Southeast, Texas, Mexico and Caribbean Islands where it clings to the bark of these trees by tiny scales on their long thread-like stems. Spanish moss is completely harmless to their host trees, except in some cases where there can be so much of it that it actually blocks the sunlight needed for photosynthesis. This small, isolated piece on was found in the Corkscrew Swamp near Naples, Florida.
    Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides)
  • Although common all over North America, on rare occasions, you might encounter a very strange-looking raccoon with a very unusual coloration. Sometimes a red raccoon or even a blond raccoon is found when you least expect it, and even more rare is the albino raccoon! While all of them are still the same species, just some win the gene lottery for uniqueness! This red raccoon had a coloration more similar to a red fox, and was heard long before it was seen wading noisily through the Corkscrew Swamp in Southwest Florida as it was catching crayfish and devouring them on the spot. Paying little attention to me, it just kept moving and foraging until the splashing and lip-smacking faded in the distance.
    RedRaccoon2021-4.jpg
  • Although common all over North America, on rare occasions, you might encounter a very strange-looking raccoon with a very unusual coloration. Sometimes a red raccoon or even a blond raccoon is found when you least expect it, and even more rare is the albino raccoon! While all of them are still the same species, just some win the gene lottery for uniqueness! This red raccoon had a coloration more similar to a red fox, and was heard long before it was seen wading noisily through the Corkscrew Swamp in Southwest Florida as it was catching crayfish and devouring them on the spot. Paying little attention to me, it just kept moving and foraging until the splashing and lip-smacking faded in the distance.
    RedRaccoon2021-2.jpg
  • The brown anole is a member of the spiny lizard family and native to Cuba and the Bahamas. Common, and invasive to the United States, it is spreading north from the Florida Keys, and in a little more more than a century it has established itself as far north as Georgia and as far west as Texas in recent years. The problem with this particular species is that it is outcompeting with the native and less aggressive green anole, with the additional pressure of adult male brown anoles having been known to prey on young green anoles. This one was one of many spotted scurrying around hunting among the trees one November evening in the Corkscrew Swamp near Naples, Florida and the nighttime insects started to come out.
    BrownAnole2021-1.jpg
  • The brown anole is a member of the spiny lizard family and native to Cuba and the Bahamas. Common, and invasive to the United States, it is spreading north from the Florida Keys, and in a little more more than a century it has established itself as far north as Georgia and as far west as Texas in recent years. The problem with this particular species is that it is outcompeting with the native and less aggressive green anole, with the additional pressure of adult male brown anoles having been known to prey on young green anoles. This one was one of many spotted scurrying around hunting among the trees one November evening in the Corkscrew Swamp near Naples, Florida and the nighttime insects started to come out.
    BrownAnole2021-2.jpg
  • This common, large flycatcher is frequently seen (or just heard) in the Eastern half of North America high in the treetops where it actively and aggressively hunts insects and ripe fruits and even the occasional small invertebrate such as lizards. This one was seen perched out in the open above the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp on a cool November evening in Southwest Florida.
    Great Crested Flycatcher-5
  • This common, large flycatcher is frequently seen (or just heard) in the Eastern half of North America high in the treetops where it actively and aggressively hunts insects and ripe fruits and even the occasional small invertebrate such as lizards. This one was seen perched out in the open above the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp on a cool November evening in Southwest Florida.
    Great Crested Flycatcher-4
  • One of the smallest of the songbirds in the eastern half of North America, the highly charismatic and extremely voracious blue-gray gnatcatcher is also one of the hardest to see clearly. The fly at seemly reckless speeds through thick foliage, and rarely stop for more than a second or two before launching into the air for another round of acrobatic avian maneuvers fro tiny flying insects. This one was one of many seen perching among the bald cypress trees just log enough to swallow yet another insect before going off in search for the next victim in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-8
  • One of the smallest of the songbirds in the eastern half of North America, the highly charismatic and extremely voracious blue-gray gnatcatcher is also one of the hardest to see clearly. The fly at seemly reckless speeds through thick foliage, and rarely stop for more than a second or two before launching into the air for another round of acrobatic avian maneuvers fro tiny flying insects. This one was one of many seen perching among the bald cypress trees just log enough to swallow yet another insect before going off in search for the next victim in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-9
  • While I was looking up into the trees and marveling at the huge number of moths flying over the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp just outside of Naples, Florida, this tiny bomber swooped in, grabbed a moth and then began to wolf it down just as soon as it could find a perch to rest. At four and a quarter inches in length, this fast-moving blue-gray gnatcatcher is very common in eastern North American and parts of the Southwest where it forages in high trees for insects. Unusual for what we hear about wildlife and the state of habitat destruction these days, the total number of blue-gray gnatcatchers are on the rise. Not only are they becoming more numerous, they are also extending their range into places they've never been seen before.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-3
  • This large shade-loving epiphytic fern is native to the tropical eastern coasts of the Americas and the Caribbean Islands. Going by a variety of common names such as golden polypody, golden serpent fern, cabbage palm fern, gold-foot fern, blue-star fern, hare-foot fern and rabbit's foot fern Phlebodium aureum is commonly grown as a houseplant. This one was found growing at the base of a bald cypress tree deep in the Corkscrew Swamp in Southwest Florida's Collier County between Naples and Fort Myers.
    Golden Polypody
  • A common wetland plant in Florida, Alabama and Louisiana, the alligator flag (also known as bent alligator-flag or arrowroot) has large lance-shaped leaves and can grow in standing freshwater to a height of six to ten feet! This one was blooming out of season (usually May through July) in late November in the Corkscrew Swamp in Southwest Florida.
    Alligator Flag Flower
  • Although common all over North America, on rare occasions, you might encounter a very strange-looking raccoon with a very unusual coloration. Sometimes a red raccoon or even a blond raccoon is found when you least expect it, and even more rare is the albino raccoon! While all of them are still the same species, just some win the gene lottery for uniqueness! This red raccoon had a coloration more similar to a red fox, and was heard long before it was seen wading noisily through the Corkscrew Swamp in Southwest Florida as it was catching crayfish and devouring them on the spot. Paying little attention to me, it just kept moving and foraging until the splashing and lip-smacking faded in the distance.
    RedRaccoon2021-3.jpg
  • Although common all over North America, on rare occasions, you might encounter a very strange-looking raccoon with a very unusual coloration. Sometimes a red raccoon or even a blond raccoon is found when you least expect it, and even more rare is the albino raccoon! While all of them are still the same species, just some win the gene lottery for uniqueness! This red raccoon had a coloration more similar to a red fox, and was heard long before it was seen wading noisily through the Corkscrew Swamp in Southwest Florida as it was catching crayfish and devouring them on the spot. Paying little attention to me, it just kept moving and foraging until the splashing and lip-smacking faded in the distance.
    RedRaccoon2021-1.jpg
  • A well-fed juvenile American alligator enjoys a sun-warmed log in the Corkscrew Swamp near Naples, Florida.
    Juvenile American Alligator-4
  • A well-fed juvenile American alligator enjoys a sun-warmed log in the Corkscrew Swamp near Naples, Florida.
    Juvenile American Alligator-3
  • A well-fed juvenile American alligator enjoys a sun-warmed log in the Corkscrew Swamp near Naples, Florida.
    Juvenile American Alligator-2
  • A well-fed juvenile American alligator enjoys a sun-warmed log in the Corkscrew Swamp near Naples, Florida.
    Juvenile American Alligator-1
  • This common, large flycatcher is frequently seen (or just heard) in the Eastern half of North America high in the treetops where it actively and aggressively hunts insects and ripe fruits and even the occasional small invertebrate such as lizards. This one was seen perched out in the open above the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp on a cool November evening in Southwest Florida.
    Great Crested Flycatcher-3
  • One of the smallest of the songbirds in the eastern half of North America, the highly charismatic and extremely voracious blue-gray gnatcatcher is also one of the hardest to see clearly. The fly at seemly reckless speeds through thick foliage, and rarely stop for more than a second or two before launching into the air for another round of acrobatic avian maneuvers fro tiny flying insects. This one was one of many seen perching among the bald cypress trees just log enough to swallow yet another insect before going off in search for the next victim in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-11
  • One of the smallest of the songbirds in the eastern half of North America, the highly charismatic and extremely voracious blue-gray gnatcatcher is also one of the hardest to see clearly. The fly at seemly reckless speeds through thick foliage, and rarely stop for more than a second or two before launching into the air for another round of acrobatic avian maneuvers fro tiny flying insects. This one was one of many seen perching among the bald cypress trees just log enough to swallow yet another insect before going off in search for the next victim in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-10
  • While I was looking up into the trees and marveling at the huge number of moths flying over the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp just outside of Naples, Florida, this tiny bomber swooped in, grabbed a moth and then began to wolf it down just as soon as it could find a perch to rest. At four and a quarter inches in length, this fast-moving blue-gray gnatcatcher is very common in eastern North American and parts of the Southwest where it forages in high trees for insects. Unusual for what we hear about wildlife and the state of habitat destruction these days, the total number of blue-gray gnatcatchers are on the rise. Not only are they becoming more numerous, they are also extending their range into places they've never been seen before.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-6
  • While I was looking up into the trees and marveling at the huge number of moths flying over the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp just outside of Naples, Florida, this tiny bomber swooped in, grabbed a moth and then began to wolf it down just as soon as it could find a perch to rest. At four and a quarter inches in length, this fast-moving blue-gray gnatcatcher is very common in eastern North American and parts of the Southwest where it forages in high trees for insects. Unusual for what we hear about wildlife and the state of habitat destruction these days, the total number of blue-gray gnatcatchers are on the rise. Not only are they becoming more numerous, they are also extending their range into places they've never been seen before.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-5
  • While I was looking up into the trees and marveling at the huge number of moths flying over the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp just outside of Naples, Florida, this tiny bomber swooped in, grabbed a moth and then began to wolf it down just as soon as it could find a perch to rest. At four and a quarter inches in length, this fast-moving blue-gray gnatcatcher is very common in eastern North American and parts of the Southwest where it forages in high trees for insects. Unusual for what we hear about wildlife and the state of habitat destruction these days, the total number of blue-gray gnatcatchers are on the rise. Not only are they becoming more numerous, they are also extending their range into places they've never been seen before.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-4
  • These wonderfully beautiful aquatic snakes are non-venomous fish hunters and are most often seen sunning themselves on fallen logs near freshwater ponds and marshes all over the southeast. This particular subspecies, the Florida watersnake (Nerodia fasciata pictiventris) was found on a chilly November evening catching the last rays of the day on a pile of old sticks in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Banded Watersnake
  • These wonderfully beautiful aquatic snakes are non-venomous fish hunters and are most often seen sunning themselves on fallen logs near freshwater ponds and marshes all over the southeast. This particular subspecies, the Florida watersnake (Nerodia fasciata pictiventris) was found on a chilly November evening catching the last rays of the day on a pile of old sticks in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Banded Watersnake
  • One of the more interesting plants found growing in the Pacific Northwest is the yellow skunk cabbage - also know as the western skunk cabbage or swamp lantern. These stinky water-loving plant blooms in the late spring and early summer in wet bogs or swamps and actually produces enough heat to melt snow away from it. Bears are known to eat the roots after their winter slumber to induce a laxative-like effect. While it is potentially toxic to humans, the native peoples of the Pacific Northwest used the large leaves (largest in the PNW) for lining the insides of baskets and for wrapping salmon before cooking them.
    Yellow Skunk Cabbage
  • This common, large flycatcher is frequently seen (or just heard) in the Eastern half of North America high in the treetops where it actively and aggressively hunts insects and ripe fruits and even the occasional small invertebrate such as lizards. This one was seen perched out in the open above the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp on a cool November evening in Southwest Florida.
    Great Crested Flycatcher-2
  • This common, large flycatcher is frequently seen (or just heard) in the Eastern half of North America high in the treetops where it actively and aggressively hunts insects and ripe fruits and even the occasional small invertebrate such as lizards. This one was seen perched out in the open above the black waters of the Corkscrew Swamp on a cool November evening in Southwest Florida.
    Great Crested Flycatcher-1
  • One of the smallest of the songbirds in the eastern half of North America, the highly charismatic and extremely voracious blue-gray gnatcatcher is also one of the hardest to see clearly. The fly at seemly reckless speeds through thick foliage, and rarely stop for more than a second or two before launching into the air for another round of acrobatic avian maneuvers fro tiny flying insects. This one was one of many seen perching among the bald cypress trees just log enough to swallow yet another insect before going off in search for the next victim in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp near Naples.
    Blue-gray Gnatcatcher-7
  • This tiny winter visitor was photographed here in the Corkscrew Swamp as it paused for a moment over the middle of a hardwood hammock.
    Black-and-White Warbler
  • Giant swallowtail pauses on a smilax vine on a hot summer day in the Corkscrew Swamp of Collier County, Florida. This big beauty had a 5-inch wingspan!
    Giant Swallowtail (Papilio cresphontes)
  • This large beautiful canna was found unexpectedly growing in the Corkscrew Swamp. It is native to Florida and often found in the Everglades.
    Golden Canna
  • This fuzzy wildflower was found growing on the side of an old tram road in the Corkscrew Swamp in Collier County, Florida.
    Flaxleaf False Foxglove
  • A bit of risk was needed to get this photo in the Corkscrew Swamp. I had to board a floating log in an occupied alligator pond to get this shot!
    Water-Spider Orchid (Habernaria repens)
  • With the confusing name of Boston fern, this truly global sword fern is native to the tropics around most of the equator in the Americas, Africa and Polynesia. In North America, it can be natively inmost of Mexico and the Caribbean, Florida, Texas, Louisiana and even Arizona. This very healthy specimen was growing just at the top of the flood line on the side of a bald cypress tree in Southwest Florida's Corkscrew Swamp.
    Boston Fern
  • Large deer photographed from a distance in the Corkscrew Swamp in Collier County. The largest deer in South Florida can be seen here.
    White-tailed Deer
  • Young cottonmouth (or water moccasin) in the the middle of the road near the Corkscrew Swamp in SW Florida early in the morning. I should have used a zoom lens!
    Ready to Strike!
  • White-eyed vireo perched on a branch in the Corkscrew Swamp in Collier County, Florida. One of my favorite songbirds and sometimes difficult to spot even if heard close by.
    White-eyed Vireo
  • This large-flowered sabatia is a real beauty and can be found anywhere where there are open, wet prairies in much of Southern Florida. This one was found on the edge of the Corkscrew Swamp.
    Marsh Pink Sabatia
  • Close up of the fertilized flowers of the zig-zag orchid, or rigid epidendrum, photographed from the boardwalk in the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, Fl.  These flowers have been self-fertilized and still retain the flower after the fruit is set.
    Zig-Zag Orchid (Epidendrum rigidum)
  • This perfect example of an eastern tiger swallowtail is resting on a wild primrose bush deep in the Corkscrew Swamp of Collier County, Florida.
    Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio g..cus)
  • Silver spotted skipper deep in a swamp in Collier County, Florida.
    Silver-Spotted Skipper (Epargyreus c..rus)
  • The unusual corkystem passionfruit growing on the edge of the Corkscrew Swamp in Collier County - very near Bonita Springs, Fl.
    Corkystem Passionflower
  • Palamedes swallowtail on a hot summer day in the Corkscrew Swamp of Collier County, Florida.
    Palamedes Swallowtail (Papilio palam..des)
  • Silver-spotted skipper resting for a moment on a leaf near an alligator pond in the Corkscrew Swamp in Collier County, Florida.
    Silver-Spotted Skipper (Epargyreus c..rus)
  • Female tropical checkered skipper followed, chased and finally photographed in the Corkscrew Swamp in SW Florida. These are fast!
    Tropical Checkered Skipper (Pyrgus o..eus)
  • Perhaps the most delightful orchid to encounter in the swamps, this wildly shaped flower can often be found in huge colonies, if one doesn't mind wading to reach them.
    Clamshell Orchid (Prosthechea cochle..dra)
  • Common grass-pink orchid growing in the Apalachicola National Forest. This delicate beauty can be seen nearly all over the state where there are seepage swamps or bogs near pinelands.
    Common Grass-Pink Orchid (Calopogon ..sus)
  • Florida Everglades. Absolutely Beautiful!!!
    Florida Everglades
  • A wildly colorful and extremely noisy purple gallinule walks among the reeds on the edge of the Myakka River in Sarasota County, Florida.
    Purple Gallinule
  • This stunning large native hibiscus can be found in many of the wetlands that offer deep shade and fluctuating water levels seasonally that vary from standing water to dry.
    Scarlet Rosemallow
  • Huge female with distinctive "zig-zag" web under a shrub near Hickey's Creek in Lee County, Florida.
    Black-and-Yellow Garden Spider
  • A beautiful blue sky over Florida's St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge where the salt marshes and freshwater marshes meet.
    Clouds over St. Marks
  • Environmentally sensitive wetlands in Southwest Florida.
    Environmental Wetlands
  • White form of the pale grass-pink orchid growing in the Apalachicola National Forest.
    White Pale Grass-Pink (Calopogon pal..rus)
  • Pale grass-pink orchid growing in the Apalachicola National Forest. We found this particularly beautiful and very delicate orchid among several other types of terrestrial orchids.
    Pale Grass-Pink (Calopogon pallidus)
  • A sudden storm comes and goes in a flash in Southwest Florida’s Fakahatchee Strand leaving behind a beautiful rainbow over the palms, sawgrass, alligators and legions of nesting birds on a cool sunny autumn day.
    Rainbow over the Fakahatchee Strand
  • A lone palm stands of a gorgeous deserted beach on Florida's St. Joseph Peninsula on the northern Gulf Coast.
    Cabbage Palm on St. Joseph Peninsula
  • Close-up detail of a cabbage palm frond (also known as a sabal palm) in rural Eastern Lee County in Southwest Florida.
    Cabbage Palm Close-up
  • Close-up detail of a cabbage palm frond (also known as a sabal palm) in rural Eastern Lee County in Southwest Florida.
    Cabbage Palm Close-up
  • The American coot is a very common water bird found throught North America. Often found among ducks, it is actually not a duck at all, but a member of the rail family. This one was photographed near the base of the Nisqually River as it joins Washington's Puget Sound.
    American Coot
  • In some parts of the Fakahatchee Strand in the northwestern Florida Everglades, it is very common to wade into areas heavily populated with alligators - especially if there are floating logs with sunshine for them to bask in. I managed to get quite close to this one. While alert, it stayed calm as long as I moved slowly and stayed low in the water with it.
    Juvenile Alligator
  • Dawn in the Big Cypress National Preserve in the Gator Hook Strand.
    Big Cypress Sunrise
  • One of the more difficult Florida birds to photograph, these shy birds fly swiftly with dexterous precision through the thick brush of Florida's wetlands and pine scrubs, and are easily recognized by their cat-like screech, and black "mohawk".
    Catbird
  • A common moorhen walking on floating reeds at Wakulla Springs, in North Florida.
    Common Moorhen
  • With a beak that is anything but common, this common moorhen is catching fish and insects in the floating vegetation at Wakulla Springs, in North Florida.
    Common Moorhen
  • One of the most common wildflowers to grow in the pinelands of South Florida is the chocolateweed, as seen her ein the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails here in SW Florida.
    Chocolateweed
  • A sabatia flower in bloom in one of the deepest and darkest parts of the Fakahatchee Strand in SW Florida.
    Sabatia
  • A sabatia flower in bloom in one of the deepest and darkest parts of the Fakahatchee Strand in SW Florida.
    Sabatia
  • The wonderfully beautiful pine hyacinth growing in the pinelands of the CREW Marsh Hiking Trails in SW Florida.
    Pine Hyacinth
  • Chapman's milkwort found growing in a dried-out bog in the Apalachicola National Forest.
    Chapman's Milkwort
  • Blue jasmine growing on the edge of Lime Sink near the Suwannee River.
    Blue Jasmine
  • A snowy orchid growing in the acidic soil of a seepage bog in the Apalachicola National Forest.
    Snowy Orchid (Gymnadeniopsis nivea)
  • Close-up of a cluster of yellow helmet orchid flowers in an isolated pond in Collier County, Florida. These orchids are usually found in wetlands with lots of shade.
    Yellow Helmet Orchid (Polystachya co..eta)
  • Spectacular specimen of yellow helmet orchid in an isolated pond in Collier County, Florida. These orchids are usually found in wetlands with lots of shade.
    Yellow Helmet Orchid (Polystachya co..eta)
  • I hit the jackpot in the bog where I photographed this beautiful snowy orchid.... there were upwards of 3000 or more in bloom within an area the size of a football field! A week later I only found three of them that still had flowers. Timing is everything!
    Snowy Orchid (Gymnadeniopsis nivea)
  • Pale grass-pink orchid growing in the Apalachicola National Forest. A good identification tool (not 100% accurate) is that the sepals are curved upward in what I call an "I surrender" pose. Not very scientific, but I think everyone gets the idea!
    Pale Grass-Pink (Calopogon pallidus)
  • Close-up with details of the common grass-pink orchid.
    Common Grass-Pink Orchid (Calopogon ..sus)
  • A nice big and healthy clamshell orchid deep in a slough in Southwest Florida. There are three flower spikes on this one and they are blooming!
    Clamshell Orchid (Prosthechea cochle..dra)
  • The clamshell orchid is one of the most beautiful of all of Florida's native orchids, and can flower for a very long time. This is one of those orchids that if you see one in flower, you are likely to see a lot more in the surrounding trees, as they tend to grow in huge colonies.
    Clamshell Orchid (Prosthechea cochle..dra)
  • A beautiful specimen of the common grass pink orchid in the Apalachicola National Forest.
    Common Grass-Pink Orchid (Calopogon ..sus)
  • Sometimes if there are two similar orchids growing in the same region and habitat, hybrids can be found. In this case, a cross between the common and pale grass-pink.
    Grass-Pink Orchid Hybrid (Calopogon ..dus)
  • This gorgeous polypore mushroom was found growing in a very remote wetland location in northern Collier County, Florida on a pond apple tree in standing water. The key for identification for Ganoderma curtisii is the usual, long purple stalk on which it is attached to the tree. This mushroom is inedible, although some claim it has some medicinal use.
    Ganoderma curtisii
  • Palms, lilies, ferns, and oaks - all commonly found in Florida wetlands like this one just north of Palmetto, Florida in Manatee County.
    Wetlands of Terra Ceia Preserve
  • The setting sun deep in the Florida Everglades.
    Sunset over the Pay-Hay-Okee
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