Leighton Photography & Imaging

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  • The brown-spined prickly pear (also regionally known as the tulip or desert prickly pear) is another widespread member of the Opuntia genus that is found throughout all of the American Southwestern States including Nebraska and even South Dakota and is found across most of Northern Mexico. One of the things that make this particular species so amazing is the adaptability to drastically different environments: it can be found thriving in the driest of lowland deserts to the moist, cold forests of the Rocky Mountains. As a result, there are several variable physical attributes that make identifying this species confusing at best. Springtime flowers are variable from lemon yellow, orange or pink, usually with but sometimes without a reddish center. This one was found growing in the Ajo Mountains in Southern Arizona near the Mexican Border.
    Brown-Spined Prickly Pear
  • Eastern Washington's iconic Palouse Falls is a 198-foot waterfall on the Palouse River which empties into the Snake River. These ancient basalt cliffs were created by lava and ground down by massive glaciers.
    Palouse Falls
  • Eastern Washington's iconic Palouse Falls is a 198-foot waterfall on the Palouse River which empties into the Snake River. These ancient basalt cliffs were created by lava and ground down by massive glaciers.
    Palouse Falls
  • Eastern Washington's iconic Palouse Falls is a 198-foot waterfall on the Palouse River which empties into the Snake River. These ancient basalt cliffs were created by lava and ground down by massive glaciers.
    Palouse Falls
  • Believed to be the exact species adopted as the symbol of King Louis VII of France for the Second Crusade, this invasive import from Europe eventually because the infamous "Fleur-de-lis". Today it is found in wetlands all over North America on both coasts, but not quite in the center of the continent - yet. This one was found growing in extremely dense numbers in Yakima County, Washington between Yakima and Ellensburg.
    Yellow Flag Iris
  • The desert-marigold moth is a member of the owlet moth family and is found throughout much of the western United States. It is associated with the desert-marigold, which is a native aster found in much of the more arid regions of the country. This one was photographed on its host in Northwestern Arizona.
    Desert-Marigold Moth
  • One of my favorite places to photograph landscapes - Valley of Fire, Nevada.
    Valley of Fire
  • The sparse-flowered bog orchid is an easily overlooked, water-loving orchid with tiny green flowers most often found in wetlands, bogs and marshes. It can be found in most of the western United States with the exception of Idaho, Colorado and Wyoming and can be easily confused with the the many other species of green-flowered Platanthera orchids. Luckily, this species has a sort of "pinched" look to the flowers that all other closely-related species lack. This one was found growing in a wet peat bog with pitcher plants just north of the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon.
    Sparse-flowered Bog Orchid (Platanth..a)-2
  • The sparse-flowered bog orchid is an easily overlooked, water-loving orchid with tiny green flowers most often found in wetlands, bogs and marshes. It can be found in most of the western United States with the exception of Idaho, Colorado and Wyoming and can be easily confused with the the many other species of green-flowered Platanthera orchids. Luckily, this species has a sort of "pinched" look to the flowers that all other closely-related species lack. This one was found growing in a wet peat bog with pitcher plants just north of the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon.
    Sparse-flowered Bog Orchid (Platanth..a)-4
  • The sparse-flowered bog orchid is an easily overlooked, water-loving orchid with tiny green flowers most often found in wetlands, bogs and marshes. It can be found in most of the western United States with the exception of Idaho, Colorado and Wyoming and can be easily confused with the the many other species of green-flowered Platanthera orchids. Luckily, this species has a sort of "pinched" look to the flowers that all other closely-related species lack. This one was found growing in a wet peat bog with pitcher plants just north of the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon.
    Sparse-flowered Bog Orchid (Platanth..a)-1
  • The cat-faced spider is a small member of the orb weaver family that rarely exceeds a centimeter in length and is harmless to humans. There are two "horns" on the abdomen that if looked at the right way, appear to be shaped like cats' ears with two small dimples exactly where you would expect to see the cat's eyes. Common in the Western United Staes and Canada, these spiders breed in the summer, lay an egg sac in the fall, and the spiderlings hatch and disperse in the wind via "web parachutes" in the spring to start the life cycle all over again.
    Cat-faced Spider
  • The cat-faced spider is a small member of the orb weaver family that rarely exceeds a centimeter in length and is harmless to humans. There are two "horns" on the abdomen that if looked at the right way, appear to be shaped like cats' ears with two small dimples exactly where you would expect to see the cat's eyes. Common in the Western United Staes and Canada, these spiders breed in the summer, lay an egg sac in the fall, and the spiderlings hatch and disperse in the wind via "web parachutes" in the spring to start the life cycle all over again.
    Cat-faced Spider
  • Rocky Coulee is one of the many thousands of coulees in the area around Vantage, Washington that is essentially drainage route that hasn't really quite become an official "creek" but can occasionally carry running water with rain or snowmelt. This particular one in Whiskey Mountain area is absolutely beautiful in the springtime with its explosion of wildflowers including balsamroots, bitterroots, hedgehog cacti, lupine, wild onion, larkspur and many more! Also found at various times in the year: bighorn sheep, bears, elk, all kinds of game birds and birds of prey, and even some spawning salmon at the right time of year!
    Down into the Coulee
  • Coulees, hills, ridges and thousands of small creeks are very typical of the vast wild land between Ellensburg, Washington and the mighty Columbia River to the East. This view is facing east from the base of Whiskey Dick Mountain.
    Sagebrush Country
  • The Chisos Mountains of West Texas is the southernmost mountain range in the United States, and is surrounded by the Chihuahuan Desert on the US-Mexico border. Located wholly within the borders of Big Bend National Park, this incredible view of this ancient volcanic mountain range was photographed on a late spring afternoon as the sun began to set in the "golden hour".
    Chisos Mountains of West Texas
  • One of the many great rock formations in the Chisos Mountains in Western Texas' Big Bend National Park and is known as the "Mule Ear Peaks." These twin peaks  are formed from a part of a dike-like intrusion of relatively young rhyolite, and rise about 1040 feet (3,881 above sea level) above the desert floor.
    Mules Ears
  • Cerro Castellan - also known as Castolon Peak or Castellan Peak, is a conical volcanic mountain in West Texas that rises 1000 feet above the desert floor (3,293 feet above sea level) in Big Bend National Park. Cerro Castellan itself is part of an ancient series of summits once known as the Corazones Peaks that has since succumbed to millennia of erosion by wind, precipitation, searing heat and bitterly cold winters. <br />
Geologically, this ancient mountain range remnant is a high stack of volcanic rocks, including ash, lava, and tuffaceous rocks. It is capped by a dense lava flow underlain by various tuffs and basalts. A somewhat northwest fault cuts the eastern face of Cerro Castellan. Although little vegetation grows on the sheer cliffs and steep, pointed profile of its peak, the lower slopes of Cerro Castellan support a sparse growth of Chihuahuan Desert scrub, including most prominently such characteristic species as creosote bush and ocotillo.
    Cerro Castellan
  • Cerro Castellan - also known as Castolon Peak or Castellan Peak, is a conical volcanic mountain in West Texas that rises 1000 feet above the desert floor (3,293 feet above sea level) in Big Bend National Park. Cerro Castellan itself is part of an ancient series of summits once known as the Corazones Peaks that has since succumbed to millennia of erosion by wind, precipitation, searing heat and bitterly cold winters. <br />
Geologically, this ancient mountain range remnant is a high stack of volcanic rocks, including ash, lava, and tuffaceous rocks. It is capped by a dense lava flow underlain by various tuffs and basalts. A somewhat northwest fault cuts the eastern face of Cerro Castellan. Although little vegetation grows on the sheer cliffs and steep, pointed profile of its peak, the lower slopes of Cerro Castellan support a sparse growth of Chihuahuan Desert scrub, including most prominently such characteristic species as creosote bush and ocotillo.
    Cerro Castellan
  • Cerro Castellan - also known as Castolon Peak or Castellan Peak, is a conical volcanic mountain in West Texas that rises 1000 feet above the desert floor (3,293 feet above sea level) in Big Bend National Park. Cerro Castellan itself is part of an ancient series of summits once known as the Corazones Peaks that has since succumbed to millennia of erosion by wind, precipitation, searing heat and bitterly cold winters. <br />
Geologically, this ancient mountain range remnant is a high stack of volcanic rocks, including ash, lava, and tuffaceous rocks. It is capped by a dense lava flow underlain by various tuffs and basalts. A somewhat northwest fault cuts the eastern face of Cerro Castellan. Although little vegetation grows on the sheer cliffs and steep, pointed profile of its peak, the lower slopes of Cerro Castellan support a sparse growth of Chihuahuan Desert scrub, including most prominently such characteristic species as creosote bush and ocotillo.
    Cerro Castellan
  • Cerro Castellan - also known as Castolon Peak or Castellan Peak, is a conical volcanic mountain in West Texas that rises 1000 feet above the desert floor (3,293 feet above sea level) in Big Bend National Park. Cerro Castellan itself is part of an ancient series of summits once known as the Corazones Peaks that has since succumbed to millennia of erosion by wind, precipitation, searing heat and bitterly cold winters. <br />
Geologically, this ancient mountain range remnant is a high stack of volcanic rocks, including ash, lava, and tuffaceous rocks. It is capped by a dense lava flow underlain by various tuffs and basalts. A somewhat northwest fault cuts the eastern face of Cerro Castellan. Although little vegetation grows on the sheer cliffs and steep, pointed profile of its peak, the lower slopes of Cerro Castellan support a sparse growth of Chihuahuan Desert scrub, including most prominently such characteristic species as creosote bush and ocotillo.
    Cerro Castellan
  • This natural hybrid (Opuntia engelmannii x phaecantha) of two common and local prickly pear cacti - the Engelmann's Prickly Pear (Opuntia engelmannii) and the brown-spined prickly pear (Opuntia phaecantha),  shows characteristics of both and have resulted in a large, mature beautiful cactus growing at some elevation in the Ajo Mountains in Southern Arizona. Since so many of our native members of the Opuntia genus are so closely related and have overlapping natural ranges, hybridization is common among many species, and is the source of much confusion and frustration for biologist and naturalist alike! This particular plant has the beautiful silvery white spines and flower petal shape of O. engelmannii and the flower coloration and growth pattern of O. phaecantha.
    Natural Prickly Pear Hybrid
  • This natural hybrid (Opuntia engelmannii x phaecantha) of two common and local prickly pear cacti - the Engelmann's Prickly Pear (Opuntia engelmannii) and the brown-spined prickly pear (Opuntia phaecantha),  shows characteristics of both and have resulted in a large, mature beautiful cactus growing at some elevation in the Ajo Mountains in Southern Arizona. Since so many of our native members of the Opuntia genus are so closely related and have overlapping natural ranges, hybridization is common among many species, and is the source of much confusion and frustration for biologist and naturalist alike! This particular plant has the beautiful silvery white spines and flower petal shape of O. engelmannii and the flower coloration and growth pattern of O. phaecantha.
    Natural Prickly Pear Hybrid
  • The brown-spined prickly pear (also regionally known as the tulip or desert prickly pear) is another widespread member of the Opuntia genus that is found throughout all of the American Southwestern States including Nebraska and even South Dakota and is found across most of Northern Mexico. One of the things that make this particular species so amazing is the adaptability to drastically different environments: it can be found thriving in the driest of lowland deserts to the moist, cold forests of the Rocky Mountains. As a result, there are several variable physical attributes that make identifying this species confusing at best. Springtime flowers are variable from lemon yellow, orange or pink, usually with but sometimes without a reddish center. This one was found growing in the Ajo Mountains in Southern Arizona near the Mexican Border.
    Brown-Spined Prickly Pear
  • The brown-spined prickly pear (also regionally known as the tulip or desert prickly pear) is another widespread member of the Opuntia genus that is found throughout all of the American Southwestern States including Nebraska and even South Dakota and is found across most of Northern Mexico. One of the things that make this particular species so amazing is the adaptability to drastically different environments: it can be found thriving in the driest of lowland deserts to the moist, cold forests of the Rocky Mountains. As a result, there are several variable physical attributes that make identifying this species confusing at best. Springtime flowers are variable from lemon yellow, orange or pink, usually with but sometimes without a reddish center. This one was found growing in the Ajo Mountains in Southern Arizona near the Mexican Border.
    Brown-Spined Prickly Pear
  • The brown-spined prickly pear (also regionally known as the tulip or desert prickly pear) is another widespread member of the Opuntia genus that is found throughout all of the American Southwestern States including Nebraska and even South Dakota and is found across most of Northern Mexico. One of the things that make this particular species so amazing is the adaptability to drastically different environments: it can be found thriving in the driest of lowland deserts to the moist, cold forests of the Rocky Mountains. As a result, there are several variable physical attributes that make identifying this species confusing at best. Springtime flowers are variable from lemon yellow, orange or pink, usually with but sometimes without a reddish center. This one was found growing in the Ajo Mountains in Southern Arizona near the Mexican Border.
    Brown-Spined Prickly Pear
  • The brown-spined prickly pear (also regionally known as the tulip or desert prickly pear) is another widespread member of the Opuntia genus that is found throughout all of the American Southwestern States including Nebraska and even South Dakota and is found across most of Northern Mexico. One of the things that make this particular species so amazing is the adaptability to drastically different environments: it can be found thriving in the driest of lowland deserts to the moist, cold forests of the Rocky Mountains. As a result, there are several variable physical attributes that make identifying this species confusing at best. Springtime flowers are variable from lemon yellow, orange or pink, usually with but sometimes without a reddish center. This one was found growing in the Ajo Mountains in Southern Arizona near the Mexican Border.
    Brown-Spined Prickly Pear
  • The brown-spined prickly pear (also regionally known as the tulip or desert prickly pear) is another widespread member of the Opuntia genus that is found throughout all of the American Southwestern States including Nebraska and even South Dakota and is found across most of Northern Mexico. One of the things that make this particular species so amazing is the adaptability to drastically different environments: it can be found thriving in the driest of lowland deserts to the moist, cold forests of the Rocky Mountains. As a result, there are several variable physical attributes that make identifying this species confusing at best. Springtime flowers are variable from lemon yellow, orange or pink, usually with but sometimes without a reddish center. This one was found growing in the Ajo Mountains in Southern Arizona near the Mexican Border.
    Brown-Spined Prickly Pear
  • Saguaro cacti stand tall as sunset fades in the Puerto Blanco Mountains in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument along the US-Mexico border in Arizona. Truly one of my favorite places in the Sonoran Desert.
    Sunset in the Puerto Blanco Mountains
  • Golden hour near the Ajo Mountains in the Sonoran Desert! Big skies, lowlands filled with saguaro and organ pipe cacti, and loads of wildlife and incredible wildflowers - springtime in Arizona is about as beautiful as nature gets!
    Ajo Mountains
  • Some of the amazingly beautiful rock formations photographed here at dusk in Arches National Park in Eastern Utah.
    Moab Rock Formations
  • The Palouse River is a somewhat short river in southeastern Washington that joins the Snake River, which in turn joins the mighty Columbia River that forms the border between Washington and Oregon. It is best known for it's magnificent waterfall - Palouse Falls.
    Palouse River
  • The Palouse River is a somewhat short river in southeastern Washington that joins the Snake River, which in turn joins the mighty Columbia River that forms the border between Washington and Oregon. It is best known for it's magnificent waterfall - Palouse Falls.
    Palouse River
  • The Palouse River is a somewhat short river in southeastern Washington that joins the Snake River, which in turn joins the mighty Columbia River that forms the border between Washington and Oregon. It is best known for it's magnificent waterfall - Palouse Falls.
    Palouse River
  • Eastern Washington's iconic Palouse Falls is a 198-foot waterfall on the Palouse River which empties into the Snake River. These ancient basalt cliffs were created by lava and ground down by massive glaciers.
    Palouse Falls
  • Eastern Washington's iconic Palouse Falls is a 198-foot waterfall on the Palouse River which empties into the Snake River. These ancient basalt cliffs were created by lava and ground down by massive glaciers.
    Palouse Falls
  • Eastern Washington's iconic Palouse Falls is a 198-foot waterfall on the Palouse River which empties into the Snake River. These ancient basalt cliffs were created by lava and ground down by massive glaciers.
    Palouse Falls
  • Although very beautiful and showy, the yellow flag iris is a pesky invasive European import that is known to block waterways and choke out native plants and wildflowers. This one was found growing along the Yakima River in great profusion, on the eastern bank of the Yakima River, just north of Selah, WA.
    Yellow Flag Iris
  • This huge batch yellow flag iris was found growing along the Yakima River in great profusion the eastern bank of the Yakima River, just north of Selah, WA. Although incredibly beautiful, they are considered a pest as they completely take over river banks. Because they lack the diseases and wildlife that eat them found in their native Europe, they can multiply unchecked - crowding out North American native plants that don't enjoy such an easy advantage.
    Yellow Flag Iris
  • One of the most interesting facts about the mock-orange is the fact that it develops different properties based on where it is found in the wild. Because of the varying habitats where it is found, Native Americans of different tribes and geological locations had very different uses for this same shrub. Some used the wood for making strong and straight arrow shafts. Others made reliable and sturdy digging sticks with them. One of the most amazing characteristics is that if you crush the leaves and flowers together between your hands and keep rubbing, you will create a soapy lather, great for bathing! This one was found blooming next to the Yakima River in Kittitas County, Washington.
    Mock-Orange
  • The Valley of Fire in Southern Nevada is home to some of the most spectacular rock formations in the United States.
    Valley of Fire
  • A photograph from within a cave in Southern Nevada while hunting unsuccessfully for vinegaroons while climbing the cliffs in the area. I just arrived in time for perfect light!
    Inside the Cave...
  • The eastern part of the Cascades mountains in Washington state couldn't be more different from the western side. Instead of wet, green and cloudy slopes, there are dry, columnar igneous rock structures, desert scrub plants and big skies!
    Basalt Cliffs at White Pass
  • From personal experience, the teddybear cholla (named for the thick, bristling spines that almost look like soft fur) are a real eye-opener when one first makes physical contact with this native of the American Southwest. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. This one was found growing (without touching) along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • Close-up view of the teddybear cholla in flower. This common and impressive native cactus of the American Southwest is found Southern California, Nevada and Arizona, as well as most of Northern Mexico. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. This one was found growing (without touching) along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • This gorgeous desert bloomer with orchid-like flowers is actually a member of the bignonia family, and is interesting taxonomically because it is the sole species of its genus: Chilopsis . Found across much of the American Southwest (and also in the state of Georgia) it has become an important drought-tolerant landscape plant in many places where water is often scarce. This one was found by following the sound of buzzing bees in a canyon in the Colorado Desert near California's Salton Sea.
    Desert Willow
  • One of the most frustrating of all birds to get on camera, the violet-green swallow is an extremely fast, small swallow found in all western American states, most of Mexico, and British Columbia and the Yukon in Canada. This one paused for a lucky second halfway up a rocky cliff wall in a canyon west of Yakima, Washington.
    Violet-Green Swallow
  • The desert Indian paintbrush is a common springtime bloomer throughout much of the American Southwest. This bright scarlet specimen was found growing in the dry sand on a canyon in Utah's Zion National Park.
    Desert Indian Paintbrush
  • An old, twisted pinyon tree grows atop the windy rocks at the top of a huge rock formation in a nameless canyon in southwestern Utah. It's amazing how the roots of these tenacious pines hold the rock with an iron grip as they endure summer's blistering heat, winter's bitterly unforgiving cold, and near constant wind decade after decade.
    The Old Pinyon Tree
  • A large elk bull patrols his harem of does on a cold wintery desert day on the Eastern side of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State near Cowiche Canyon.
    Dominant Bull Elk
  • Found primarily around the western half of North America, and more concentrated toward the Pacific Coast, this attractive little looper moth (Protitame subalbaria) with no common name was found next to a creek in a small aspen-filled canyon in the middle of the sagebrush desert near Ellensburg, Washington.
    Protitame subalbaria-1.jpg
  • Distinct from other native phloxes, spreading phlox grows in often harsh environments such as rocky desert cliffs, open areas with little water and lots of exposure to heat, wind and bitter cold. As a result, these tough little perennials have hard woody stems, and sharp needle-like leaves that stay low to the ground and bloom in profuse mats in the spring. These beautiful examples were found at the top of a lava plateau called The Peninsula in Central Oregon above Deschutes Canyon.
    Spreading Phlox
  • Distinct from other native phloxes, spreading phlox grows in often harsh environments such as rocky desert cliffs, open areas with little water and lots of exposure to heat, wind and bitter cold. As a result, these tough little perennials have hard woody stems, and sharp needle-like leaves that stay low to the ground and bloom in profuse mats in the spring. These beautiful examples were found at the top of a lava plateau called The Peninsula in Central Oregon above Deschutes Canyon.
    Spreading Phlox
  • Distinct from other native phloxes, spreading phlox grows in often harsh environments such as rocky desert cliffs, open areas with little water and lots of exposure to heat, wind and bitter cold. As a result, these tough little perennials have hard woody stems, and sharp needle-like leaves that stay low to the ground and bloom in profuse mats in the spring. These beautiful examples were found at the top of a lava plateau called The Peninsula in Central Oregon above Deschutes Canyon.
    Spreading Phlox
  • One of the best things about the Pacific Northwest is the number of waterfalls. This one was found in a deep canyon in a sagebrush desert habitat in Central Washington while following Umtanum Creek that was so surprisingly lush and green, that it felt like I was in the wet Western Cascades!
    Umtanum Creek Waterfall
  • While not a native to the Americas, this Eurasian import can be found in the wild across all of North America almost as far south as the US/Mexican border. This was one of many widely-spaced plants growing on the edge of the Umtanum Creek in a canyon in Central Kittitas County, Washington.
    White Campion
  • From personal experience, the teddybear cholla (named for the thick, bristling spines that almost look like soft fur) are a real eye-opener when one first makes physical contact with this native of the American Southwest. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. This one was found growing (without touching) along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • From personal experience, the teddybear cholla (named for the thick, bristling spines that almost look like soft fur) are a real eye-opener when one first makes physical contact with this native of the American Southwest. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. This one was found growing (without touching) along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • From personal experience, the teddybear cholla (named for the thick, bristling spines that almost look like soft fur) are a real eye-opener when one first makes physical contact with this native of the American Southwest. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. This one was found growing (without touching) along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • From personal experience, the teddybear cholla (named for the thick, bristling spines that almost look like soft fur) are a real eye-opener when one first makes physical contact with this native of the American Southwest. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. This one was found growing (without touching) along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • Close-up view of the teddybear cholla in flower. This common and impressive native cactus of the American Southwest is found Southern California, Nevada and Arizona, as well as most of Northern Mexico. Casual passing contact will not only cause immense sharp pain, but the piece of the cactus touched will detach from the main part of the plant and tag along for the ride. This evolutionary and reproductive tactic is why this cholla is often called the "jumping cholla" - it will hop a ride with anything that touches it, eventually fall to the ground and once it roots, grow a whole new cactus. This one was found growing (without touching) along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • Also commonly called the diamond or branched pencil cholla, this hardy tree-like cactus is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the Southwestern United States, California, and Northwestern Mexico, and to Baja California and its San Benito Islands. Uncommon in its range compared to other cholla species, the pencil cholla is usually found in well-drained sandy, gravelly, and rocky soils on flats, bajadas, and moderate slopes into the lower mountains in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) habitats. Easily identified by the smooth surface of the stems with a distinct diamond-shaped pattern, each scale-like flat tubercle sprouts a viciously long, 2-inch golden-tipped silvery-white spine on the youngest and newest growth. This one was found growing along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Pencil Cholla
  • Also commonly called the diamond or branched pencil cholla, this hardy tree-like cactus is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the Southwestern United States, California, and Northwestern Mexico, and to Baja California and its San Benito Islands. Uncommon in its range compared to other cholla species, the pencil cholla is usually found in well-drained sandy, gravelly, and rocky soils on flats, bajadas, and moderate slopes into the lower mountains in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) habitats. Easily identified by the smooth surface of the stems with a distinct diamond-shaped pattern, each scale-like flat tubercle sprouts a viciously long, 2-inch golden-tipped silvery-white spine on the youngest and newest growth. This one was found growing along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Pencil Cholla
  • Also commonly called the diamond or branched pencil cholla, this hardy tree-like cactus is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the Southwestern United States, California, and Northwestern Mexico, and to Baja California and its San Benito Islands. Uncommon in its range compared to other cholla species, the pencil cholla is usually found in well-drained sandy, gravelly, and rocky soils on flats, bajadas, and moderate slopes into the lower mountains in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) habitats. Easily identified by the smooth surface of the stems with a distinct diamond-shaped pattern, each scale-like flat tubercle sprouts a viciously long, 2-inch golden-tipped silvery-white spine on the youngest and newest growth. This one was found growing along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Pencil Cholla
  • Also commonly called the diamond or branched pencil cholla, this hardy tree-like cactus is native to the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts of the Southwestern United States, California, and Northwestern Mexico, and to Baja California and its San Benito Islands. Uncommon in its range compared to other cholla species, the pencil cholla is usually found in well-drained sandy, gravelly, and rocky soils on flats, bajadas, and moderate slopes into the lower mountains in the Lower Sonoran (Creosote-Bursage Flats) and Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) habitats. Easily identified by the smooth surface of the stems with a distinct diamond-shaped pattern, each scale-like flat tubercle sprouts a viciously long, 2-inch golden-tipped silvery-white spine on the youngest and newest growth. This one was found growing along the side of a dried-out arroyo in a nameless canyon in Southern California's Anza-Borrego Desert in San Diego County.
    Pencil Cholla
  • The hummingbird bush, also known in Spanish as the chuparosa or chiparosa (both meaning hummingbird) is a very attractive bright orange-red flowering bush found in the dry, arid parts of Southern California and Arizona where there is a lot of rocky terrain. This spring bloomer attracts not only a lot of hummingbirds, but also other wildlife attracted to the sweet, nectar-filled flowers. This one was photographed in a small canyon near Mecca, CA in the Colorado Desert.
    Hummingbird Bush
  • This gorgeous desert bloomer with orchid-like flowers is actually a member of the bignonia family, and is interesting taxonomically because it is the sole species of its genus: Chilopsis. Found across much of the American Southwest (and also in the state of Georgia) it has become an important drought-tolerant landscape plant in many places where water is often scarce. This one was found by following the sound of buzzing bees in a canyon in the Colorado Desert near California's Salton Sea.
    Desert Willow
  • I literally stepped on this interesting exposed fossil bone by accident as I was hiking along the side of an arroyo just outside of McKittrick Canyon in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park. The geology of the area dates back to the Permian Era which lasted from 299 million to 251 million years ago, and these rocks are all part of an ancient reef system near the edge of what we now call the Delaware Sea. This entire region is loaded with fossils, and is the site of much archaeological activity.
    Unidentified Fossil
  • This small daisy is found at lower elevations in the drier, rocky parts of Central and Eastern Washington and Oregon. It is closely related to other similar aster species found in the same region but at higher elevations. This one was found with many others growing from a crack in a basalt canyon rock wall outside of Naches, Washington just west of Yakima.
    Dwarf Golden Daisy
  • A Mormon metalmark rests midday on a warm late-summer day just east of Provo, Utah in a canyon clearing full of wildflowers and magpies.
    Mormon Metalmark
  • I found this beautifully blue and violet lowly penstemon (also known as low beardtongue or and lowly beardtongue) in a dry canyon on the eastern side of Washington's Cascade Mountains  in White Pass surrounded by very many of the closely related showy penstemon. Something seemed odd about them at first until I finally realized it was a different species.
    Lowly Penstemon
  • I found this beautifully blue and violet lowly penstemon (also known as low beardtongue or and lowly beardtongue) in a dry canyon on the eastern side of Washington's Cascade Mountains  in White Pass surrounded by very many of the closely related showy penstemon. Something seemed odd about them at first until I finally realized it was a different species.
    Lowly Penstemon
  • Purple sage beautifully backlit as the morning sun creeps over the canyon ridge in White Pass, just south of Naches, Washington.
    Purple Sage
  • A mixed bumblebee (Bombus mixtus) is busily feeding on the nectar of wild purple sage in the sagebrush steppe of White Pass, a dry desert-like canyon west of Yakima, Washington.
    Mixed Bumblebee
  • With intricately lines purplish-blue lines on the three lower petals with a touch of yellow, this native iris is found across the entirety of the American West, even reaching into Minnesota near creeks, rivers, or any other wetland at mid elevations. This one was found and photographed just north of Ellensburg, Washington deep in a canyon where the surrounding desert was bone-dry.
    Western Blue Flag Iris
  • These gorgeous spring bloomers are perfectly adapted to finding the best sources of water in the desert. By growing wedged into these cracks, they can tap into the parts of the canyon walls that retain the most water since the last rain, as seen here in Utah's Zion National Park.
    Eastwood Indian Paintbrush
  • A desert specialist, the Eastwood paintbrush thrives in the cracks in canyon walls of Zion National Park, and blooms a vibrant scarlet in the springtime.
    Eastwood Indian Paintbrush
  • The  Eastwood Indian paintbrush has found a special niche in its harsh desert environment in which to thrive. They are found almost exclusively in cracks and crevices in the canyon walls of Utah, Colorado and New Mexico.
    Eastwood Indian Paintbrush
  • Also known as skyrocket, scarlet gilia is a very tall member of the phlox family and a favorite of hummingbirds, various moths, elk and deer. It can be found throughout most of the western half of the United States and north into British Columbia in rocky deserts, mountain meadows, and subalpine rock fields. Once the scarlet gilia blooms, the whole plant dies, but pollinated seeds will grow the next generation of these spectacular wildflowers! This four-foot tall scarlet gilia was photographed deep in the desert canyons south of Ellensburg, Washington.
    Scarlet Gilia
  • Also known as skyrocket, scarlet gilia is a very tall member of the phlox family and a favorite of hummingbirds, various moths, elk and deer. It can be found throughout most of the western half of the United States and north into British Columbia in rocky deserts, mountain meadows, and subalpine rock fields. Once the scarlet gilia blooms, the whole plant dies, but pollinated seeds will grow the next generation of these spectacular wildflowers! This four-foot tall scarlet gilia was photographed deep in the desert canyons south of Ellensburg, Washington.
    Scarlet Gilia
  • Also known as skyrocket, scarlet gilia is a very tall member of the phlox family and a favorite of hummingbirds, various moths, elk and deer. It can be found throughout most of the western half of the United States and north into British Columbia in rocky deserts, mountain meadows, and subalpine rock fields. Once the scarlet gilia blooms, the whole plant dies, but pollinated seeds will grow the next generation of these spectacular wildflowers! This four-foot tall scarlet gilia was photographed deep in the desert canyons south of Ellensburg, Washington.
    Scarlet Gilia
  • Somewhat common in the western half of North America, the arrowleaf balsamroot is a large and unmistakably beautiful and showy member of the sunflower family that is found in a variety of habitats from desert scrub and grasslands to mountain forests. They are often eaten by elk and deer, and were historically eaten by Native American tribes as raw or steamed greens, or as a flour made from the dried and pounded seeds. Even the long taproot is edible. This one was found growing in the sides of many canyons and ravines of the Eastern Cascades Mountains, just south of Ellensburg, Washington.
    Arrowleaf Balsamroot
  • Somewhat common in the western half of North America, the arrowleaf balsamroot is a large and unmistakably beautiful and showy member of the sunflower family that is found in a variety of habitats from desert scrub and grasslands to mountain forests. They are often eaten by elk and deer, and were historically eaten by Native American tribes as raw or steamed greens, or as a flour made from the dried and pounded seeds. Even the long taproot is edible. This one was found growing in the sides of many canyons and ravines of the Eastern Cascades Mountains, just south of Ellensburg, Washington.
    Arrowleaf Balsamroot
  • Somewhat common in the western half of North America, the arrowleaf balsamroot is a large and unmistakably beautiful and showy member of the sunflower family that is found in a variety of habitats from desert scrub and grasslands to mountain forests. They are often eaten by elk and deer, and were historically eaten by Native American tribes as raw or steamed greens, or as a flour made from the dried and pounded seeds. Even the long taproot is edible. This one was found growing in the sides of many canyons and ravines of the Eastern Cascades Mountains, just south of Ellensburg, Washington.
    Arrowleaf Balsamroot
  • A spectacular sunset at Washington's Ruby Beach. These wild formations in the sand are what remains when Cedar Creek empties directly onto the beach, and the freshwater runoff washes the softer sand and silt into the surf creating these amazing miniature canyons and washes. Next low tide, a whole new micro-landscape will be created.
    Low Tide on Ruby Beach
  • A male acmon blue butterfly in Central Washington drinks moisture from the mud after a soaking summer rain in the rural canyons south of Yakima, Washington.
    Acmon Blue Close-up
  • Eastwood Indian paintbrushes thrive in arid, rocky canyons. This one was growing out of a crevice high up a rocky wall in Zion National Park.
    Eastwood Indian Paintbrush
  • Nevada's Valley of Fire is one of the most spectacular places in the United States. Unbelievably red sandstone canyons, rock formations and rare habitat-specific wildlife make for one of the very best places for a hike or hiking trip one could hope for.
    Into the Valley of Fire
  • Nevada's Valley of Fire is one of the most spectacular places in the United States. Unbelievably red sandstone canyons, rock formations and rare habitat-specific wildlife make for one of the very best places for a hike or hiking trip one could hope for.
    Into Valley of Fire - Black & White
  • I noticed this beautifully colored California barrel cactus on top of a ridge in the many canyons of Nevada's Valley of Fire as I was photographing the sunrise. The vivid color of the early morning light just lit up the rock and cactus with the most vivid, intense colors!
    California Barrel
  • About 26 miles east of Seattle, the South Fork Snoqualmie River squeezes and thunders through rocky canyons and over the two spectacular waterfalls known as Twin Falls. This is the smaller upper falls after which the river continues for about a half mile to the 150-foot drop to the lower falls.
    Upper of the Twin Falls
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