Leighton Photography & Imaging

  • Home
  • Website
  • About
  • Portfolio
  • Contact
  • Newsletter
  • How to Download
  • Galleries
    • All Galleries
    • Search
    • Cart
    • Lightbox
    • Client Area
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
x

Search Results

Refine Search
Match all words
Match any word
Prints
Personal Use
Royalty-Free
Rights-Managed
(leave unchecked to
search all images)
Prev Next
922 images found
twitterlinkedinfacebook

Loading ()...

  • Not really a park, Spray Park is a mountainous region above Mount Rainier's Mowich Lake that comprises some of the most beautiful and spectacular subalpine meadows and beauty the Pacific Northwest has to offer. In midsummer, the sheer numbers of wildly colorful wildflowers, glacier views, and abundant wildlife make the long steep climb completely worth the effort. It's a purely magical place!
    On the Spray Park Trail
  • Extremely common all throughout the Pacific Northwest, the queen's cup is a member of the lily family found in most forests and many wooded areas that receive a lot of rainfall, and often growing in vast carpets.
    Queen's Cup
  • This strange and seaweed-looking lichen is very common in the dark wet forests on the Pacific Northwest. It grows in old-growth conifers, then eventually falls to the forest floor where it is often eaten by elk and deer.
    Lettuce Lichen
  • The elegant piperia is an uncommon terrestrial orchid found in scattered locations across the Pacific Northwest at lower elevations, but most often found on rocky outcrops or in open fields mixed with conifers in early to midsummer. This one was photographed high above the Columbia Gorge on the Washington side of the Columbia River.
    Elegant Piperia (Piperia elegans)
  • Among the most common of the Pacific Northwest's orchids, this green summer bloomer is easily confused with a dozen others that are found in similar habitats.  Only the "scrotum-like" spur is a key identifier for this sup-alpine, water-loving orchid.
    Slender Bog Orchid (Platanthera stricta)
  • A very lucky find in Washington's Olympic Mountains! This tiny orchid was in full bloom up a narrow mountain goat trail overlooking the majestic glaciers and peaks found in Olympic National Park. Found only in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia, this easily overlooked beauty is only one of two green-flowered Piperia species growing in the Pacific Northwest. How you tell this one apart from the somewhat similar Alaskan piperia is the length of the spur. This one (Piperia elongata) has a spur on the flower that greatly exceeds the length of the lip, while the closely related Alaskan piperia (Piperia unalascensis) has a spur that is equal to or slightly less than the length of the lip. The spur in this photo looks a bit like a horn growing underneath each flower, and the lip is the bottom part that looks like a wide "lower petal" in the middle of each flower.
    Piperia elongata-3.jpg
  • Primarily a western spring bloomer, the seep-spring monkeyflower, like other monkeyflowers, is often found very close to water or actually growing in standing water. It can be found in most western states and provinces and can be found sporadically in such eastern states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York and even Maine! These were found growing on the damp Pacific Northwest cliffs on Fidalgo Island in Washington State.
    Seep-spring Monkeyflower
  • Spotted coralroot orchid growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • Spotted coralroot orchid growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • Spotted coralroot orchid growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • Spotted coralroot orchid growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • One of the most distinctive and favorite of the wild orchids of the Pacific Northwest is the western fairy-slipper. Also known as the calypso orchid, is primarily found in Northwestern California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Idaho and Montana in forests with rich, organic soils. One of the first of the springtime orchids to flower, when you find one, there are usually many, many more in the vicinity even though they can be hard to spot. Once you train your eye to the color and the diminutive size, they can suddenly appear in the hundreds. This one was one of many hundreds found growing on Fidalgo Island among the douglas firs within view of Rosario Strait.
    Western Fairy-Slipper (Calypso bulbo..lis)
  • One of the most distinctive and favorite of the wild orchids of the Pacific Northwest is the western fairy-slipper. Also known as the calypso orchid, is primarily found in Northwestern California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Idaho and Montana in forests with rich, organic soils. One of the first of the springtime orchids to flower, when you find one, there are usually many, many more in the vicinity even though they can be hard to spot. Once you train your eye to the color and the diminutive size, they can suddenly appear in the hundreds. This one was one of many hundreds found growing on Fidalgo Island among the douglas firs within view of Rosario Strait.
    Western Fairy-Slipper (Calypso bulbo..lis)
  • One of the most distinctive and favorite of the wild orchids of the Pacific Northwest is the western fairy-slipper. Also known as the calypso orchid, is primarily found in Northwestern California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Idaho and Montana in forests with rich, organic soils. One of the first of the springtime orchids to flower, when you find one, there are usually many, many more in the vicinity even though they can be hard to spot. Once you train your eye to the color and the diminutive size, they can suddenly appear in the hundreds. This one was one of many hundreds found growing on Fidalgo Island among the douglas firs within view of Rosario Strait.
    Western Fairy-Slipper (Calypso bulbo..lis)
  • One of the most distinctive and favorite of the wild orchids of the Pacific Northwest is the western fairy-slipper. Also known as the calypso orchid, is primarily found in Northwestern California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Idaho and Montana in forests with rich, organic soils. One of the first of the springtime orchids to flower, when you find one, there are usually many, many more in the vicinity even though they can be hard to spot. Once you train your eye to the color and the diminutive size, they can suddenly appear in the hundreds. This one was one of many hundreds found growing on Fidalgo Island among the douglas firs within view of Rosario Strait.
    Western Fairy-Slipper (Calypso bulbo..lis)
  • One of the many unusual and unique marine invertebrates of the Pacific Northwest, the mossy chiton is a nocturnal hunter of the intertidal zones of the rocky coastline. Recently, biologists have discovered that because they are sometimes above water, and sometimes underwater, their very primitive mineralized eyes have evolved in such a way that they can actually see images, and when they detect a predator coming close, they can react quickly and tighten their muscles, securing themselves to a rock or other hard surface, leaving them protected under their eight-pieced plated shells. This one was found high and dry at low tide near Neah Bay, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula.
    Mossy Chiton
  • This truly wild and odd looking lichen is also known in some parts of the world as the nail lichen and is found in the Pacific Northwest of North America and in parts of Eastern Eurasia. The apothecia (round black heads) are the reproductive part of the lichen that will release millions of wind-blown spores (similar to a mushroom) that will start a new lichens if they land on a suitable rock. These were found next to the Greenwater River in Pierce County, Washington at mid-elevation in the Cascade Mountains.
    Devil's Matchstick
  • To the joy of anyone hiking in the summertime in the Pacific Northwest as far east as Montana, the Columbia lily (also known as the tiger lily) is easily one of the prettiest of our native wildflowers that commonly grow along mountain trails. This was one of hundreds found growing below Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park in Washington State.
    Columbia Lily
  • To the joy of anyone hiking in the summertime in the Pacific Northwest as far east as Montana, the Columbia lily (also known as the tiger lily) is easily one of the prettiest of our native wildflowers that commonly grow along mountain trails. This was one of hundreds found growing below Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park in Washington State.
    Columbia Lily
  • To the joy of anyone hiking in the summertime in the Pacific Northwest as far east as Montana, the Columbia lily (also known as the tiger lily) is easily one of the prettiest of our native wildflowers that commonly grow along mountain trails. This was one of hundreds found growing below Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park in Washington State.
    Columbia Lily
  • A Pacific Northwest delicacy! The black huckleberry is an important and nutritious food source for black and grizzly bears, which consume not only the berries but also other plant parts, as well as deer, elk, moose, and ruffed grouse. Commonly reaching 6 feet in height, it is common to understory shrub, dry to moist coniferous forests, and open areas. These were found growing in the Western Olympic Mountains of Washington in the Hoh Rainforest.
    Black Huckleberry
  • A Pacific Northwest delicacy! The black huckleberry is an important and nutritious food source for black and grizzly bears, which consume not only the berries but also other plant parts, as well as deer, elk, moose, and ruffed grouse. Commonly reaching 6 feet in height, it is common to understory shrub, dry to moist coniferous forests, and open areas. These were found growing in the Western Olympic Mountains of Washington in the Hoh Rainforest.
    Black Huckleberry
  • A Pacific Northwest delicacy! The black huckleberry is an important and nutritious food source for black and grizzly bears, which consume not only the berries but also other plant parts, as well as deer, elk, moose, and ruffed grouse. Commonly reaching 6 feet in height, it is common to understory shrub, dry to moist coniferous forests, and open areas. These were found growing in the Western Olympic Mountains of Washington in the Hoh Rainforest.
    Black Huckleberry
  • A Pacific Northwest delicacy! The black huckleberry is an important and nutritious food source for black and grizzly bears, which consume not only the berries but also other plant parts, as well as deer, elk, moose, and ruffed grouse. Commonly reaching 6 feet in height, it is common to understory shrub, dry to moist coniferous forests, and open areas. These were found growing in the Northern Olympic Mountains of Washington along the Sol Duc River.
    Black Huckleberry
  • A Pacific Northwest delicacy! The black huckleberry is an important and nutritious food source for black and grizzly bears, which consume not only the berries but also other plant parts, as well as deer, elk, moose, and ruffed grouse. Commonly reaching 6 feet in height, it is common to understory shrub, dry to moist coniferous forests, and open areas. These were found growing in the Western Olympic Mountains of Washington in the Hoh Rainforest.
    Black Huckleberry
  • Close-up of the western spotted coralroot orchid growing near the shore of Lake Cle Elum on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • The western spotted coralroot orchid growing near the shore of Lake Cle Elum on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland.
    Spotted Coralroot
  • This beautiful teal-green bullseye lichen was found growing in the Oak Creek Wildlife Recreation Area just west of Yakima, Washington. If you look closely, you can see the small fleshy fruiting bodies in the center of each lichen that will eventually release its spores to propagate the next generation. This region of the Pacific Northwest is very dry and rocky, and most of the basalt surfaces are covered in multiple types of lichen.
    Bullseye Lichen
  • Easily the most beautiful of all of the native currants that grow wild in the Pacific Northwest, the waxy current is also one of the most flavorless. I actually ate one of these after the shot and there was no sweetness or taste, just texture which I thought was very strange. Apparently not so to the hummingbirds, who take advantage of these early spring bloomers to feed on the nectar of the tubular white flowers where they might be the only flowers available to them at the time.
    Wax Currant
  • Step moss is a very distinctive and attractive moss found throughout most of the Pacific Northwest. This lush soft moss grows in carpets on rocks, logs, and trees, such as this growth on the side of a bigleaf maple in the Hoh Rain Forest.
    Step Moss
  • The Cascades frog is a high altitude-loving frog found in both theCascade and Olympic mountains of the Pacific Northwest. This one was seen in August in Washington's Stevens Pass near the edge of a beautiful and remote subalpine mountain lake.
    Cascades Frog
  • One of many of the wondrous sub-alpine wildflowers found in the Pacific Northwest, this Colombian lily (also known as the small-flowered tiger lily) was found growing high up in the Cascade Mountains in Steven's Pass near the tree line on a cool August day.
    Columbia Lily
  • The Carbon River gets its start from the Carbon Glacier high on Mount Rainier in Washington State and flows generally northwestwardly with a lot of meandering toward the valleys below. It gets its white, mineral-rich water from silt and sediments washed down this active volcano's peaks downhill where it joins the Puyallup River where it empties into the Puget Sound. This portion of this beautiful river was photographed just a few miles upstream from Carbonado, Washington on a sunny, warm July day, about 15 miles northwest of Mount Rainier.
    Carbon River
  • The Carbon River gets its start from the Carbon Glacier high on Mount Rainier in Washington State and flows generally northwestwardly with a lot of meandering toward the valleys below. It gets its white, mineral-rich water from silt and sediments washed down this active volcano's peaks downhill where it joins the Puyallup River where it empties into the Puget Sound. This portion of this beautiful river was photographed just a few miles upstream from Carbonado, Washington on a sunny, warm July day, about 15 miles northwest of Mount Rainier.
    Carbon River
  • A very lucky find in Washington's Olympic Mountains! This tiny orchid was in full bloom up a narrow mountain goat trail overlooking the majestic glaciers and peaks found in Olympic National Park. Found only in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and British Columbia, this easily overlooked beauty is only one of two green-flowered Piperia species growing in the Pacific Northwest. How you tell this one apart from the somewhat similar Alaskan piperia is the length of the spur. This one (Piperia elongata) has a spur on the flower that greatly exceeds the length of the lip, while the closely related Alaskan piperia (Piperia unalascensis) has a spur that is equal to or slightly less than the length of the lip. The spur in this photo looks a bit like a horn growing underneath each flower, and the lip is the bottom part that looks like a wide "lower petal" in the middle of each flower.
    Piperia elongata-1.jpg
  • A trio of spotted coralroot orchids growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • Spotted coralroot orchid growing in the coastal forest on Fidalgo Island. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland. Like most coralroots, they are often found on the forest floor in areas devoid of other low-growth/forest floor vegetation. I usually find them by habitat-type, as they seem to grow best in places where a bit of sunlight reaches a permanently dark forest floor, and can be spectacular when a beam of light penetrates the darkness to reveal this beautiful orchid standing tall. Because it lacks chlorophyll, the leaves of this plant do not use photosynthesis to create its own food, but unusually the ovaries of the flower can, in very small amounts. The main source of nutrients is like that of many other non-green plants (called myco-heterotrophs) - they parasitize the vegetative part of underground fungi, in this case - the mushroom family Russulaceae.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • One of the most distinctive and favorite of the wild orchids of the Pacific Northwest is the western fairy-slipper. Also known as the calypso orchid, is primarily found in Northwestern California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Idaho and Montana in forests with rich, organic soils. One of the first of the springtime orchids to flower, when you find one, there are usually many, many more in the vicinity even though they can be hard to spot. Once you train your eye to the color and the diminutive size, they can suddenly appear in the hundreds. This one was one of many hundreds found growing on Fidalgo Island among the douglas firs within view of Rosario Strait.
    Western Fairy-Slipper (Calypso bulbo..lis)
  • One of the most distinctive and favorite of the wild orchids of the Pacific Northwest is the western fairy-slipper. Also known as the calypso orchid, is primarily found in Northwestern California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Idaho and Montana in forests with rich, organic soils. One of the first of the springtime orchids to flower, when you find one, there are usually many, many more in the vicinity even though they can be hard to spot. Once you train your eye to the color and the diminutive size, they can suddenly appear in the hundreds. This one was one of many hundreds found growing on Fidalgo Island among the douglas firs within view of Rosario Strait.
    Western Fairy-Slipper (Calypso bulbo..lis)
  • One of the most distinctive and favorite of the wild orchids of the Pacific Northwest is the western fairy-slipper. Also known as the calypso orchid, is primarily found in Northwestern California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Idaho and Montana in forests with rich, organic soils. One of the first of the springtime orchids to flower, when you find one, there are usually many, many more in the vicinity even though they can be hard to spot. Once you train your eye to the color and the diminutive size, they can suddenly appear in the hundreds. This one was one of many hundreds found growing on Fidalgo Island among the douglas firs within view of Rosario Strait.
    Western Fairy-Slipper (Calypso bulbo..lis)
  • One of the most distinctive and favorite of the wild orchids of the Pacific Northwest is the western fairy-slipper. Also known as the calypso orchid, is primarily found in Northwestern California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Idaho and Montana in forests with rich, organic soils. One of the first of the springtime orchids to flower, when you find one, there are usually many, many more in the vicinity even though they can be hard to spot. Once you train your eye to the color and the diminutive size, they can suddenly appear in the hundreds. This one was one of many hundreds found growing on Fidalgo Island among the douglas firs within view of Rosario Strait.
    Western Fairy-Slipper (Calypso bulbo..lis)
  • One of the most distinctive and favorite of the wild orchids of the Pacific Northwest is the western fairy-slipper. Also known as the calypso orchid, is primarily found in Northwestern California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Idaho and Montana in forests with rich, organic soils. One of the first of the springtime orchids to flower, when you find one, there are usually many, many more in the vicinity even though they can be hard to spot. Once you train your eye to the color and the diminutive size, they can suddenly appear in the hundreds. This one was one of many hundreds found growing on Fidalgo Island among the douglas firs within view of Rosario Strait.
    Western Fairy-Slipper (Calypso bulbo..lis)
  • One of the most distinctive and favorite of the wild orchids of the Pacific Northwest is the western fairy-slipper. Also known as the calypso orchid, is primarily found in Northwestern California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Idaho and Montana in forests with rich, organic soils. One of the first of the springtime orchids to flower, when you find one, there are usually many, many more in the vicinity even though they can be hard to spot. Once you train your eye to the color and the diminutive size, they can suddenly appear in the hundreds. This one was one of many hundreds found growing on Fidalgo Island among the douglas firs within view of Rosario Strait.
    Western Fairy-Slipper (Calypso bulbo..lis)
  • One of the most distinctive and favorite of the wild orchids of the Pacific Northwest is the western fairy-slipper. Also known as the calypso orchid, is primarily found in Northwestern California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alaska, Idaho and Montana in forests with rich, organic soils. One of the first of the springtime orchids to flower, when you find one, there are usually many, many more in the vicinity even though they can be hard to spot. Once you train your eye to the color and the diminutive size, they can suddenly appear in the hundreds. This one was one of many hundreds found growing on Fidalgo Island among the douglas firs within view of Rosario Strait.
    Western Fairy-Slipper (Calypso bulbo..lis)
  • One of the many unusual and unique marine invertebrates of the Pacific Northwest, the mossy chiton is a nocturnal hunter of the intertidal zones of the rocky coastline. Recently, biologists have discovered that because they are sometimes above water, and sometimes underwater, their very primitive mineralized eyes have evolved in such a way that they can actually see images, and when they detect a predator coming close, they can react quickly and tighten their muscles, securing themselves to a rock or other hard surface, leaving them protected under their eight-pieced plated shells. This one was found on the sand above the surf line at low tide near Neah Bay, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula.
    Mossy Chiton
  • One of the many unusual and unique marine invertebrates of the Pacific Northwest, the mossy chiton is a nocturnal hunter of the intertidal zones of the rocky coastline. Recently, biologists have discovered that because they are sometimes above water, and sometimes underwater, their very primitive mineralized eyes have evolved in such a way that they can actually see images, and when they detect a predator coming close, they can react quickly and tighten their muscles, securing themselves to a rock or other hard surface, leaving them protected under their eight-pieced plated shells. This one was found high and dry at low tide near Neah Bay, Washington on the Olympic Peninsula.
    Mossy Chiton
  • This great little oddball of the mushroom world looks just like a birds nest filled with eggs, even though it is only about half an inch wide. It is often found in groups on old berry canes, rotten wood, or rich soil, mostly in the Pacific Northwest, north to Alaska. This one was found past-season (November 2015) in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in mid-November near the Greenwater River in Washington's Cascade Mountains. In this photo you can see one "egg" (or peridiole) left in the nest - these spore-ladden reproductive structures are ejected by raindrops hitting the cup.
    Bird's Nest Fungus
  • This truly wild and odd looking lichen is also known in some parts of the world as the nail lichen and is found in the Pacific Northwest of North America and in parts of Eastern Eurasia. The apothecia (round black heads) are the reproductive part of the lichen that will release millions of wind-blown spores (similar to a mushroom) that will start a new lichens if they land on a suitable rock. These were found next to the Greenwater River in Pierce County, Washington at mid-elevation in the Cascade Mountains.
    Devil's Matchstick
  • Sometimes called the red-tinged lepiota, this attractive little mushroom is one of the first of the fall mushrooms found in the wet forests of the Pacific Northwest. This pair was found growing partially under a log near Coal Creek in Bellevue, Washington.
    Leucoagaricus rubrotinctoides
  • A Pacific Northwest delicacy! The black huckleberry is an important and nutritious food source for black and grizzly bears, which consume not only the berries but also other plant parts, as well as deer, elk, moose, and ruffed grouse. Commonly reaching 6 feet in height, it is common to understory shrub, dry to moist coniferous forests, and open areas. These were found growing in the Western Olympic Mountains of Washington in the Hoh Rainforest.
    Black Huckleberry
  • A Pacific Northwest delicacy! The black huckleberry is an important and nutritious food source for black and grizzly bears, which consume not only the berries but also other plant parts, as well as deer, elk, moose, and ruffed grouse. Commonly reaching 6 feet in height, it is common to understory shrub, dry to moist coniferous forests, and open areas. These were found growing in the Western Olympic Mountains of Washington in the Hoh Rainforest.
    Black Huckleberry
  • A Pacific Northwest delicacy! The black huckleberry is an important and nutritious food source for black and grizzly bears, which consume not only the berries but also other plant parts, as well as deer, elk, moose, and ruffed grouse. Commonly reaching 6 feet in height, it is common to understory shrub, dry to moist coniferous forests, and open areas. These were found growing in the Northern Olympic Mountains of Washington along the Sol Duc River.
    Black Huckleberry
  • The western spotted coralroot orchid growing near the shore of Lake Cle Elum on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found across North America in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland.
    Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza macu..ata)
  • Also known as the edible thistle, his Pacific Northwest member of the aster family is found in alpine and subalpine forested mountains. The peeled stems can be eaten, and the flowers and seeds are a common food source for butterflies, bees, and birds. This one was found just below the top of Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic Mountains of Washington.
    Indian Thistle
  • The violet-green swallow is a jewel when it comes to the birds found in the Pacific Northwest. Intensely green and purple plumage stand out in sharp contrast to the snow-white breast, cheeks, flanks and belly. Unfortunately it was early morning here and I wasn't able to get a shot of the feathers in the sunlight.
    Violet-Green Swallow
  • One of the several wild roses found in the Pacific Northwest, the Woods' rose prefers a drier habitat, and is often found along riversides and streams, such as this one that was actually overhanging Cowiche Canyon, just west of Yakima, WA.
    Woods' Rose
  • A female dark-eyed junco perches in a maple tree just south of Seattle Washington with the typical well-defined "hood" found in individuals in the Pacific Northwest.
    Dark-eyed Junco
  • Queen's cups are a small plain white lily that often grows in vast carpets in the wet forests of the Pacific Northwest. After the flower wilts, a bright blue berry develops and although it is inedible for humans, it is eaten by grouse, who then spread the seeds for the next season.
    Queen's Cup
  • In all of the Pacific Northwest, there is perhaps no better place for finding wild mushrooms than in the Hoh Rainforest on the Olympic Peninsula. This olive wax cap was growing near the Hoh River at the edge of the forest.
    Olive Wax Cap
  • One of the more interesting and unique lichens found in the forests of the Pacific Northwest is the frog pelt lichen. It is rather common here, and can range in color from bluish green to olive brown, and is found growing on both rocks and dead wood, in shady, open forests at varying altitudes.
    Frog Pelt Lichen
  • Probably the most common tree moss in the Pacific Northwest, the cat-tail moss can be found from sea level to very high elevations in the mountains. This close up was photographed in the Hoh Rain Forest on the Olympic Peninsula.
    Cat-tail Moss
  • The Hoh Rain Forest on Washington's Olympic Peninsula is one of the most amazing places in North America to see enormous masses of ferns and mosses. Deer ferns are common throughout the Pacific Northwest and these were found growing in an old-growth part of the forest that is untouched by the logging industry. Native American hunters traditionally used these as a hunger suppressant, and are an important food source for elk in winter.
    Deer Fern
  • Licorice ferns growing high up in a huge bigleaf maple in an ancient old-growth section of the Hoh Rain Forest on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. Found primarily in the Pacific Northwest, the roots of these evergreen ferns have been used medicinally for millennia by local native tribes, and can be found from Southern Alaska to parts of Arizona.
    Licorice Fern
  • A female mountain goat sits in an alpine meadow near the top of Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic Mountains of the Pacific Northwest.
    Mountain Goat
  • Commonly found at high elevations in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, the Sitka mountain-ash is often found near water, such as this one near the edge of Trillium Lake on Mount Hood, southern face in Oregon.
    Sitka Mountain-Ash
  • These tiny mushrooms are very common in the mountain areas of the Pacific Northwest in the fall. These were photographed in a coniferous forest on Mount Rainier in Western Washington.
    Red-Orange Mycena
  • Hardhack (also known by many other common names such as rose spirea, western spiraea, steeplebush and more) is common wetland flowering bush in the rose family that easily reaches a hight of around 7 feet and can be found in wet soils across the Pacific Northeast and Western Canadian provinces. It attracts a large number of pollinating bees, bumblebees and hummingbirds, and the thick vegetation it provides makes it ideal cover for all sorts of small mammals and birds to take shelter, such as rabbits, towhees and other passerine songbirds. This one was found in full flower on the edge of Soos Creek in Kent, Washington on a cloudy summer day.
    Hardhack
  • Scolopocryptops spinicaudus is one of the many species of small-to-medium-sized bark centipedes found in the Scolopocryptopidae family that set themselves apart from other centipede families by having 23 pairs of legs instead of 21. They live in the Pacific Northwest from Northern California to Southern Alaska, where they hunt for small insects and other arthropods under rocks, dead wood and the on forest floor. This one was found scurrying across an open area next to the Carbon River near Carbonado, Washington - about 15 miles northwest of Mount Rainier.
    Bark Centipede (Scolopocryptops spin..dus)
  • Close-up of the delicate flowers of the western coralroot orchid, a very common late-spring and early-summer terrestrial orchid found in many of the damp coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest.
    Western Coralroot (Corallorhiza mert..ana)
  • While looking very similar to our native penstemons in both shape and color, the wooded beardtongue has a couple of minor differences such as its serrated opposite leaves and winged seeds. This beautiful member of the plantain family is found in the mountains between British Columbia and Northern California on the west coast. These were found and photographed above the Carbon River, about 15 miles northwest of Mount Rainier in Washington State.
    Woodland Beardtongue - 3
  • This purely wild coastline on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, is the meeting point where the Pacific Ocean joins the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
    Washington's Rocky Coast
  • While looking very similar to our native penstemons in both shape and color, the wooded beardtongue has a couple of minor differences such as its serrated opposite leaves and winged seeds. This beautiful member of the plantain family is found in the mountains between British Columbia and Northern California on the west coast. These were found and photographed above the Carbon River, about 15 miles northwest of Mount Rainier in Washington State.
    Woodland Beardtongue - 1
  • While looking very similar to our native penstemons in both shape and color, the wooded beardtongue has a couple of minor differences such as its serrated opposite leaves and winged seeds. This beautiful member of the plantain family is found in the mountains between British Columbia and Northern California on the west coast. These were found and photographed above the Carbon River, about 15 miles northwest of Mount Rainier in Washington State.
    Woodland Beardtongue - 2
  • Unusual for a swallowtail, the clodius parnassian is mostly white-colored and is a member of the snow apollo family of butterflies. It is usually found in the mountainous regions of the western states where it feeds on a large variety of native wildflowers. This one was found about 15 miles northwest of Mount Rainier in a meadow feeding on wild blackberry flowers near the Carbon River in Washington State.
    Clodius Parnassian
  • Unusual for a swallowtail, the clodius parnassian is mostly white-colored and is a member of the snow apollo family of butterflies. It is usually found in the mountainous regions of the western states where it feeds on a large variety of native wildflowers. This one was found about 15 miles northwest of Mount Rainier in a meadow feeding on wild blackberry flowers near the Carbon River in Washington State.
    Clodius Parnassian
  • Western maidenhair ferns are one of the most attractive and distinctive-looking ferns found in North America. It grows on moist hillsides, ravines is most common near waterfalls, and is found in the wild in all of the western American states, British Columbia, and scattered locations in the northeast, the Great Lakes and Quebec. These were found about 15 miles to the Northwest of Mount Rainier on a rock wall over the Carbon River Washington State.
    Western Maidenhair Fern
  • Western maidenhair ferns are one of the most attractive and distinctive-looking ferns found in North America. It grows on moist hillsides, ravines is most common near waterfalls, and is found in the wild in all of the western American states, British Columbia, and scattered locations in the northeast, the Great Lakes and Quebec. These were found about 15 miles to the Northwest of Mount Rainier on a rock wall over the Carbon River Washington State.
    Western Maidenhair Fern
  • While looking very similar to our native penstemons in both shape and color, the wooded beardtongue has a couple of minor differences such as its serrated opposite leaves and winged seeds. This beautiful member of the plantain family is found in the mountains between British Columbia and Northern California on the west coast. These were found and photographed above the Carbon River, about 15 miles northwest of Mount Rainier in Washington State.
    Woodland Beardtongue - 4
  • With the reputation of being the plant that has killed more people in the Pacific Northwest than any other plant ever will, the death camas is a rather plain-looking, white-flowered member of the bunchflower family that often grows in and among the historically significant common camas, which has been used as a food source for centuries, if not millennia. The corm (think of something similar to a tulip or daffodil bulb) of the common blue-flowering camas was an extremely important food source for the native peoples and settling pioneers, and when dug up when not in flower, the nutritious common camas corm and the highly poisonous death camas corm are virtually indistinguishable. This was one of hundreds found and photographed among the edible common camas on Fidalgo Island in Anacortes, Washington on a mid-April afternoon almost at the very edge of the high cliffs overlooking Rosario Strait.
    Meadow Death Camas
  • The delicate salmonberry in full blossom, this member of the rose family is one of the very first spring wildflowers in the forests of the Pacific Northwest.
    Salmonberry Blossom
  • The harsh paintbrush is found in many habitats through the Pacific Northwest. Often hard to identify from several closely-related species - it has a dark, woody stem that is different from the usually soft stems of other Indian paintbrushes. This one was photographed on the lower slopes of Northern Oregon's Larch Mountain.
    Harsh Paintbrush
  • One of the very first small trees to flower in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, the Indian plum is a very attractive springtime bloomer shat decorates the wet forests with tiny cascades of white in lovely contrast with the deep green of the forest trees.
    Indian Plum
  • One of the best things about the Pacific Northwest on the eastern side of the Cascade Mountains is the big, open sky and hundreds of miles of sagebrush in all directions.
    Sagebrush Country and the Big Sky
  • A look at the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the northern coast of Washington along the Salish Sea, less than a mile from the Canadian border. The cold waters here are known for orcas (killer whales), several species of other whales, salmon, sea lions, seals, dungeness crabs and many more wonderful things that embody the Pacific Northwest's sealife.
    Strait of Juan de Fuca
  • Found only along the Pacific coastline of Oregon and California, this beautiful pale purple to blue iris is found in wet habitats with fresh water, often in forested and open areas near the beach. This one was found growing in a small ravine where a small creek was flowing into a tidal pool below on Cape Perpetua on the Oregon Coast.
    Douglas Iris
  • With the reputation of being the plant that has killed more people in the Pacific Northwest than any other plant ever will, the death camas is a rather plain-looking, white-flowered member of the bunchflower family that often grows in and among the historically significant common camas, which has been used as a food source for centuries, if not millennia. The corm (think of something similar to a tulip or daffodil bulb) of the common blue-flowering camas was an extremely important food source for the native peoples and settling pioneers, and when dug up when not in flower, the nutritious common camas corm and the highly poisonous death camas corm are virtually indistinguishable. This was one of hundreds found and photographed among the edible common camas on Fidalgo Island in Anacortes, Washington on a mid-April afternoon almost at the very edge of the high cliffs overlooking Rosario Strait.
    Meadow Death Camas
  • With the reputation of being the plant that has killed more people in the Pacific Northwest than any other plant ever will, the death camas is a rather plain-looking, white-flowered member of the bunchflower family that often grows in and among the historically significant common camas, which has been used as a food source for centuries, if not millennia. The corm (think of something similar to a tulip or daffodil bulb) of the common blue-flowering camas was an extremely important food source for the native peoples and settling pioneers, and when dug up when not in flower, the nutritious common camas corm and the highly poisonous death camas corm are virtually indistinguishable. This was one of hundreds found and photographed among the edible common camas on Fidalgo Island in Anacortes, Washington on a mid-April afternoon almost at the very edge of the high cliffs overlooking Rosario Strait.
    Meadow Death Camas
  • With the reputation of being the plant that has killed more people in the Pacific Northwest than any other plant ever will, the death camas is a rather plain-looking, white-flowered member of the bunchflower family that often grows in and among the historically significant common camas, which has been used as a food source for centuries, if not millennia. The corm (think of something similar to a tulip or daffodil bulb) of the common blue-flowering camas was an extremely important food source for the native peoples and settling pioneers, and when dug up when not in flower, the nutritious common camas corm and the highly poisonous death camas corm are virtually indistinguishable. This was one of hundreds found and photographed among the edible common camas on Fidalgo Island in Anacortes, Washington on a mid-April afternoon almost at the very edge of the high cliffs overlooking Rosario Strait.
    Meadow Death Camas
  • Many of the trees and rocks in the Pacific Northwest are literally covered and draped in communities of lichen and mosses. This photographs illustrates a common sight, such as this community growing and thriving on a large bigleaf maple tree just east of Olympia, Washington. Pictured here is yellow moss (a type of tree moss) and antlered perfume (a type of tree lichen).
    Lichen and Moss Community
  • This spectacularly wild and unique part of the Pacific Northwest is one of the largest temperate rainforests in the United States, receiving 140 to 170 inches (12 to 14 feet!) of precipitation per year! Located on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, it remains protected from the logging industry by being part of the Olympic National Park.
    Hoh Rain Forest
  • One of the many beautiful Indian paintbrushes on the Pacific Northwest, this one was blooming at the very top of Larch Mountain just outside of Portland, Oregon.
    Harsh Paintbrush
  • This common Indian paintbrush can be found all over the Pacific Northwest. This one was found growing in a mountain stream in Oregon just south of Mount Hood.
    Giant Red Indian Paintbrush
  • The western spotted coralroot orchid growing near the shore of Trillium Lake on the southern  side of Mount Hood in Oregon. These beautifully spotted terrestrials are found in northern forests from the Pacific Northwest to Newfoundland.
    Western Spotted Coralroot (Corallorh..lis)
  • Indian paintbrushes growing on a meadow hill on Mount Rainier. One of the most beautiful sights in the Pacific Northwest is to see huge sweeping views of subalpine meadows full of Indian paintbrushes, mixed with lupines, asters, and other summertime delights!
    Great Red Paintbrushes on Mount Rainier
  • The California ground squirrel is a very common western species that has recently expanded north into Washington, as this one was found at the northwestern point of Oregon where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean in the town of Hammond on the edge of a salt marsh. Highly intelligent, this common prey of rattlesnakes has been known to outsmart attacks using many ingenious methods and is even thought to be somewhat immune to rattlesnake venom.
    California Ground Squirrel
  • The California ground squirrel is a very common western species that has recently expanded north into Washington, as this one was found at the northwestern point of Oregon where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean in the town of Hammond on the edge of a salt marsh. Highly intelligent, this common prey of rattlesnakes has been known to outsmart attacks using many ingenious methods and is even thought to be somewhat immune to rattlesnake venom.
    California Ground Squirrel
  • Found only along the Pacific coastline of Oregon and California, this beautiful pale purple to blue iris is found in wet habitats with fresh water, often in forested and open areas near the beach. This one was found growing in a small ravine where a small creek was flowing into a tidal pool below on Cape Perpetua on the Oregon Coast.
    Douglas Iris
  • Close-up of a very curious glaucous-winged gull photographed above Ruby Beach on Washington's Pacific Coast, just south from Forks.
    Glaucous-winged Gull
  • These common native mussels are found along the North America's West Coast from Alaska to Baja California in Mexico, and are found in massive colonies on the rocky coastline, often easily seen at low tide above the waterline. Archeological evidence shows these edible mollusks have been an important food source to humans for the past 12,000 years or more. These barnacle-covered mussels were found at low tide on Crescent Beach on Northern Oregon's Pacific Coast.
    California Mussels
  • Mount Shasta is one of the many active volcanoes found in the Pacific Northwest with a peak of 9772 feet. This image was taken from the north in Medford, Oregon on a spectacularly clear spring day.
    Mount Shasta
Prev Next