Leighton Photography & Imaging

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  • Found all across nearly all of the Northern Hemisphere and Southeast Asia and common in many parts of Africa and India, the northern shoveler is a dabbling duck that has a large, spade-like bill that it uses to filter out tiny plants, seeds and invertebrates from the water. This beautiful drake (male duck) was found in a pond in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge near the Texas-Mexico border.
    Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)
  • This tiny native to Southern Texas and Mexico, the Julia's skipper butterfly can be found year-round and is very easily overlooked due to its small size, and muted coloration. This one was feeding on rose vervain nectar just next to the Rio Grande under some mesquite trees in Hidalgo County, Texas in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.
    Julia's Skipper (Nastra julia)
  • A wolf spider - one of one of the many variable (and often hard to correctly identify) wolf spiders of North America. I'm pretty sure this is the species known as Tigrosa annexa. This one was scrambling across some dead leaves and fallen Spanish moss in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge on a hot springtime afternoon near the US-Mexico border in Southern Texas, and paused for a brief second, just long enough for me to get this shot.
    Wolf Spider
  • This tiny native to Southern Texas and Mexico, the Julia's skipper butterfly can be found year-round and is very easily overlooked due to its small size, and muted coloration. This one was feeding on rose vervain nectar just next to the Rio Grande under some mesquite trees in Hidalgo County, Texas in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge.
    Julia's Skipper (Nastra julia)
  • The energetic and tiny clouded slipper butterfly is a common southeastern butterfly that is mostly found year-round in Florida and Texas and can be found as far south as Columbia. This one was feeding on a bright red heart leaf hibiscus flower on the side of a road in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge near Alamo, Texas.
    Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius)
  • Primarily found in Central America and Mexico, the band-celled sister (also known as the Mexican sister) is a beautiful brushfoot butterfly related to admiral butterflies. It has a range that extends from the very southern tip of Texas to Columbia and Venezuela where it feeds on nectar from Cordia, Croton, and Baccharis flowers, and sometimes rotting fruit. This one was found flying around a hackberry tree in South Texas in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge on a hot early spring day.
    Band-celled Sister (Adelpha fessonia)
  • How beautiful are these rose vervain clusters! This ground cover species of verbena had the butterflies buzzing on a hot late winter afternoon in Southern Texas next to the Rio Grande in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge! Rose vervain is native to the Eastern and South-Central parts of the United States where it can tolerate dry conditions with a lot of heat.
    Rose Vervain (Glandularia canadensis)
  • A Mexican fan palm growing in an unusual place: right at the edge of a pond in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in South Texas. Native to Baja California and parts of the Sonoran Desert, this very attractive palm has made it around the world in landscaped land and gardens where it can avoid frost. This extremely tough palm is drought and heat resistant and can tolerate the windiest of desert habitats.
    Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtonia robusta)
  • Considered non-native and invasive from Europe (although there is some speculation that there is an American native subspecies) the elegant and creatively named common reed is an important wetland grass that is found in every state and province in North America except for Hawaii and Alaska, ranging as for north as the Canadian Northwest Territories. Growing to heights of 20 feet (6 meters) this enormous aquatic wetland grass can grow massive thickets providing refuge, seeds and food for wildlife. These were found and photographed in Hidalgo County in South Texas on the Rio Grande, which forms the US-Mexico border.
    Common Reed (Phragmites australis)
  • The energetic and tiny clouded slipper butterfly is a common southeastern butterfly that is mostly found year-round in Florida and Texas and can be found as far south as Columbia. This one was feeding on rose vervain just next to the Rio Grande under some mesquite trees in Hidalgo County, Texas on the US-Mexico border.
    Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius)
  • Unusual and secretive, the South Texas satyr is a member of the often brightly-colored brushfoot butterfly family (monarchs, fritillaries, crescents, etc.) but are often small, a muted brown are more likely to be confused with moths as they flitter throughout the shady forests, often on the ground, blending in with fallen leaves. This small species is known only from the Rio Grande region of Southern Texas and Northern Mexico, and was found in a grove of wild oaks next to a pond in Southern Hidalgo County, Texas.
    South Texas Satyr (Hermeuptychia her..ius)
  • The energetic and tiny clouded slipper butterfly is a common southeastern butterfly that is mostly found year-round in Florida and Texas and can be found as far south as Columbia. This one was feeding on rose vervain just next to the Rio Grande under some mesquite trees in Hidalgo County, Texas on the US-Mexico border.
    Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius)
  • The rose-bellied lizard (also known as the rosebelly lizard) is a handsome little member of the spiny lizard family and is native to Central and North America with a range from Costa Rica to Southern Texas. This one was found near the bank of the Rio Grande in Southern Hidalgo County, Texas.
    Rose-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus vari..lis)
  • A beautiful male orange sulphur butterfly sips nectar from wild pea flowers near the USA-Mexico border in Southern Hidalgo County, Texas.
    Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme)
  • Unique underwing view of a red admiral butterfly feeding on what looks like sap a damaged shrub stem. Although the upper-side (top of the wings) is brightly-colored you can see how expertly camouflaged it is with its wings folded while resting in the shade. This one was found next to a pond near Alamo, Texas on a bright warm sunny winter day.
    Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
  • Tucked away within the safety of a very spiny Mexican prickly poppy (Argemone mexicana), this Arabesque orbweaver patiently waits for prey to wander into its trap, lured by the bright yellow poppy above. This is one of the most common orbweavers found in North America, and the can be found all over the world. This one was found about 20 feet from the Rio Grande river on the US-Mexico border in Hidalgo County on a bright winter afternoon.
    Arabesque Orbweaver (Neoscona arabesca)
  • The rose-bellied lizard (also known as the rosebelly lizard) is a handsome little member of the spiny lizard family and is native to Central and North America with a range from Costa Rica to Southern Texas. This one was found near the edge of a pond in just south of Alamo, Texas.
    Rose-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus vari..lis)
  • The rose-bellied lizard (also known as the rosebelly lizard) is a handsome little member of the spiny lizard family and is native to Central and North America with a range from Costa Rica to Southern Texas. This one was found near the bank of the Rio Grande in Southern Hidalgo County, Texas.
    Rose-bellied Lizard (Sceloporus vari..lis)
  • Unique underwing view of a red admiral butterfly feeding on what looks like sap a damaged shrub stem. Although the upper-side (top of the wings) is brightly-colored you can see how expertly camouflaged it is with its wings folded while resting in the shade. This one was found next to a pond near Alamo, Texas on a bright warm sunny winter day.
    Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
  • Contrary to the name, Spanish moss in neither a moss, nor is it Spanish. It's a native bromeliad that is closely related to pineapples and air plants found in the tropics and subtropics. This interesting epiphytic plant is most often found hanging from live oaks in the American Southeast, Texas, Mexico and Caribbean Islands where it clings to the bark of these trees by tiny scales on their long thread-like stems. Spanish moss is completely harmless to their host trees, except in some cases where there can be so much of it that it actually blocks the sunlight needed for photosynthesis. This one was found in an area along the Rio Grande right next to the US-Mexico border near Alamo, Texas.
    Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) - 1
  • Contrary to the name, Spanish moss in neither a moss, nor is it Spanish. It's a native bromeliad that is closely related to pineapples and air plants found in the tropics and subtropics. This interesting epiphytic plant is most often found hanging from live oaks in the American Southeast, Texas, Mexico and Caribbean Islands where it clings to the bark of these trees by tiny scales on their long thread-like stems. Spanish moss is completely harmless to their host trees, except in some cases where there can be so much of it that it actually blocks the sunlight needed for photosynthesis. This was part of an enormous patch found in an area along the Rio Grande right next to the US-Mexico border near Alamo, Texas.
    Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) - 3
  • As red as red can get! These intensely-bright small native hibiscus flowers are native to the Rio Grande Valley area along Southern Texas where they will continue to bloom all year long, even in the hottest part of summer just as long as the is no chance of frost. Heart leaf hibiscus flowers are favored by both butterflies and hummingbirds, and withstand long periods of high heat and lack of water. This one was photographed between various brief butterfly visits  just south of Alamo, Texas near the Rio Grande on a warm winter afternoon.
    Heart Leaf Hibiscus (Hibiscus martianus)
  • As far as foliage goes, it's hard to beat the beautifully variegated, spiky leaves of the Mexican prickly poppy. As in most wild poppies, it has and intensely colorful bright flower - in this case yellow. Native to Mexico and spreading northward into the central and eastern United States, it has now been found growing in the wild in parts of Ontario and Manitoba where the soil is dry and there is plenty of sunlight! This one was found growing by the banks of the Rio Grande on the US-Mexico border near Alamo, Texas.
    Mexican Prickly Poppy (Argemone mexi..ana)
  • A distant relative of the pineapple, ballmoss (or ball moss) is not an actual moss but rather a bromeliad, sometimes called an air plant, that lives on trees where it has some protection from wind and sunlight but does not actually harm the tree in any way. With a native range from Argentina and Chile to the Southern United States, this interesting plant was found overhanging the Rio Grande River right on the US-Mexico border just south of Alamo, Texas in Hidalgo County.
    Ballmoss (Tillandsia recurvata)
  • As red as red can get! These intensely-bright small native hibiscus flowers are native to the Rio Grande Valley area along Southern Texas where they will continue to bloom all year long, even in the hottest part of summer just as long as the is no chance of frost. Heart leaf hibiscus flowers are favored by both butterflies and hummingbirds, and withstand long periods of high heat and lack of water. This one was photographed between various brief butterfly visits  just south of Alamo, Texas near the Rio Grande on a warm winter afternoon.
    Heart Leaf Hibiscus (Hibiscus martianus)
  • As far as foliage goes, it's hard to beat the beautifully variegated, spiky leaves of the Mexican prickly poppy. As in most wild poppies, it has and intensely colorful bright flower - in this case yellow. Native to Mexico and spreading northward into the central and eastern United States, it has now been found growing in the wild in parts of Ontario and Manitoba where the soil is dry and there is plenty of sunlight! This one was found growing by the banks of the Rio Grande on the US-Mexico border near Alamo, Texas.
    Mexican Prickly Poppy (Argemone mexi..ana)
  • Close-up of the wiry stems of Spanish moss. Contrary to the name, Spanish moss in neither a moss, nor is it Spanish. It's a native bromeliad that is closely related to pineapples and air plants found in the tropics and subtropics. This interesting epiphytic plant is most often found hanging from live oaks in the American Southeast, Texas, Mexico and Caribbean Islands where it clings to the bark of these trees by tiny scales on their long thread-like stems. Spanish moss is completely harmless to their host trees, except in some cases where there can be so much of it that it actually blocks the sunlight needed for photosynthesis. This was found in an area along the Rio Grande right next to the US-Mexico border near Alamo, Texas.
    Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) - 2