by Rich Leighton | Sep 23, 2026
Several months ago, I was traveling from South Texas to the Ozark Mountains In Northwestern Arkansas. I stopped in Kountze, Texas and found some incredibly beautiful and rare plants and animals in the area! Here is what I found first…. Mountain Azalea...
by Rich Leighton | Jan 25, 2024
The golden-mantled ground squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis) is a fascinating species found across most of the western United States and north into Alberta and British Columbia in Canada. With a distinctive striped appearance and several unique behaviors, this...
by Rich Leighton | Jan 25, 2023
The black turnstone is a highly migratory species, breeding primarily in the Arctic tundra of Canada, Alaska, and northern Europe. During the winter months, it moves south to coastal areas along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf Coasts of the United States. The black...
by Rich Leighton | Nov 3, 2022
The last time I passed through Montana, I stopped by some duck ponds in Anaconda at a place called Warm Springs State Wildlife Management Area and there were dragonflies and damselflies everywhere! I was familiar with some of the species, but this one olive-golden...
by Rich Leighton | Jun 29, 2022
The Spanish dagger is one of those plants that brings a bit of nostalgia to me. It was a very common non-native landscaping plant in my childhood in Manatee County, Florida that always had these amazing displays of flowers in the spring at the very top of the plant....