by Rich Leighton | Feb 22, 2022
On a trip to Southern Oregon and the Oregon Coast to photograph wild Pacific landscapes and a profusion of wild lilies and native bog orchids further inland, I ended up by accident in Medford, OR where I got this unexpected fantastic view of Mount Shasta from the top...
by Rich Leighton | Jan 1, 2022
Perhaps the most strikingly beautiful of all of the large dragonflies of Western Canada and the United States, the eight-spotted skimmer (Libellula forensis) contrasts greatly with its environment, whether it is in lowland marshes and ponds or along desert creeks and...
by Rich Leighton | Oct 22, 2021
Back in the swing of things posting new images! One of the coolest finds during our first couple of outings into the Rio Grande Valley was finding this Texas tortoise (Gopherus berlandieri). Very similar to the gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) that I often found...
by Rich Leighton | Oct 19, 2021
I’m back from a bit of a hiatus! We moved from the Seattle, Washington area to the Southern tip of Texas in the Rio Grande Valley last month, and it’s been a mad scramble to get up and running again! In order to get back in the groove of posting new...
by Rich Leighton | Jun 18, 2021
The endangered and endemic Florida scrub jay is a cooperative breeder. When the offspring leave the nest, they stay with their parents and help them raise next year’s brood instead of going off to raise young on their own. MORE PHOTOS OF BIRDS MORE INTERESTING...
by Rich Leighton | Jun 13, 2021
Moose are the largest of the deer family, and can weigh up to 1600 pounds, and eat up to 100 pounds of vegetation at a time! While incredibly nearsighted, they can be very aggressive and can and will charge if threatened, and are capable of running at 35 mph! MORE...
by Rich Leighton | Jun 7, 2021
Five very interesting things about moss: 1. Moss was the first plant on earth. 2. Moss don’t have roots, but rather thread-like rhizoids that help them stay snugly anchored in place. 3. While most mosses love wet habitats, some can be found in deserts and even growing...
by Rich Leighton | Jun 2, 2021
While tachinid flies at first might look like large housefly, they have a very different lifestyle. These large spiky flies enjoy a plant-based diet, feeding on nectar from flowers and other botanical treats. But when it comes to laying eggs, it gets much darker and...
by Rich Leighton | May 28, 2021
Did you know that barnacles are a type of stationary crustacean? Barnacles are in the same family as shrimp, crabs and lobsters and like most crustaceans, they are omnivorous predators that eat whatever they can catch with their modified “feeler” feet (called cirri)...
by Rich Leighton | May 23, 2021
Most people know garter snakes as common and mostly harmless, but they are in fact mildly venomous. These beautiful snakes are what is known as rear-fanged, meaning they have enlarged back teeth connected to what is called the Duvernoy’s gland that they use to help...
by Rich Leighton | May 18, 2021
Blackberries are one of the most delicious wild berries you can find on almost any continent and belong to the rose family, Rosaceae (notice all those thorns?). Did you know that what we call the blackberry isn’t actually a berry though? It’s technically an aggregate...
by Rich Leighton | May 13, 2021
The word salamander comes from the Greek word for fire lizard. While not a lizard or a reptile, salamanders are amphibians and related to frogs, are nocturnal and have been around since at least 40 million years before the first dinosaur! While these amazing animals...
