Texas Mountain Laurel
Mount Rainier, WA

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Interesting Nature Facts: Updated Daily

Featured Gallery of the Month: Papaveraceae!

Latest Photos and Wildlife News

Frequently Asked Questions

Featured Gallery

Papaveraceae (Poppies & Bleeding Hearts)

Poppies & Bleeding Hearts: Until recently consisting of primarily wild poppies, the Papaveraceae family has been expanded to include Fumariaceae (bleeding hearts and fumeworts). While common in cultivated gardens, most members of this family contain medically-significant narcotic alkaloids and an acrid latex sap, which is responsible for giving us opium, heroin, codeine and morphine.

Papaveraceae (Poppies & Bleeding Hearts)

Poppies & Bleeding Hearts: Until recently consisting of primarily wild poppies, the Papaveraceae family has been expanded to include Fumariaceae (bleeding hearts and fumeworts). While common in cultivated gardens, most members of this family contain medically-significant narcotic alkaloids and an acrid latex sap, which is responsible for giving us opium, heroin, codeine and morphine.

Papaveraceae (Poppies & Bleeding Hearts)

Poppies & Bleeding Hearts: Until recently consisting of primarily wild poppies, the Papaveraceae family has been expanded to include Fumariaceae (bleeding hearts and fumeworts). While common in cultivated gardens, most members of this family contain medically-significant narcotic alkaloids and an acrid latex sap, which is responsible for giving us opium, heroin, codeine and morphine.

Latest Photos and Wildlife News

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel

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 small mammal is a joy to see and watch in person.

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The Black Turnstone: A Charismatic Shorebird

The Black Turnstone: A Charismatic Shorebird

The black turnstone feeds mostly on small crustaceans and marine worms, which it can find on rocky shorelines or mudflats. It is also known to eat small insects, mollusks, and occasionally plant material.

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Female Saffron-winged Meadowhawk

Female Saffron-winged Meadowhawk

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...

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Interesting Nature Facts #118 – Ruddy Turnstone

Ruddy Turnstone! Welcome to the next installment of a new series of nature photos that will be short & sweet, and all about the native and naturalized wildlife that is all around us with just one or two interesting nature facts that you might not know about. If...

Interesting Nature Facts #71 – Pacific Banana Slug

Banana slugs have two pairs of tentacles, both of which can be retracted to protect them from the environment. The larger pair of tentacles are used to sense the brightness of light. The smaller pair are used to sense smells. MORE PHOTOS OF INVERTEBRATES MORE...

Interesting Nature Facts #12 – Anhinga

The anhinga is barely buoyant with dense bones and non-waterproof feathers, but because of this it can stay underwater more easily and hunt for longer periods of time. Afterwards it will stand with spread wings to dry its feathers. MORE PHOTOS OF ANHINGAS MORE...

Interesting Nature Facts #84 – Beautyberry

Beautyberry fruit is very astringent, but can be made into a delicious wine or jelly. MORE PHOTOS OF BERRIES MORE INTERESTING NATURE FACTS Interesting Nature Facts is a series about the flora, fauna and places that make North America so amazing. Posts include nature...

Interesting Nature Facts #63 – Huckleberries

The huckleberry was one of the few plant species to survive on the slopes of Mount St. Helens when the volcano erupted in 1980, and still exists as a prominent mountain-slope bush today. MORE PHOTOS OF FRUITS AND BERRIES MORE INTERESTING NATURE FACTS Interesting...

Frequently Asked Questions

1 - Fine Art Prints, Canvases and Other Printing Options

I have an automated ordering system for fine art prints that not only makes ordering easier, but gives you more options. Choose luster (my personal favorite – it’s a cross between matte and glassy), old-fashioned glossy, classic black & white or even have your images printed on metallic paper or canvas. As always, all my printing is done on ultra-premium museum-quality, acid-free professional photography paper with commercial archival inks that won’t fade or “yellow” over time. I care enough about my work to have it only printed on the best materials possible.

Next to every image in our gallery there is an “Add To Cart” button that will give you all the options available for that image in a very user-friendly format, and will make ordering a breeze. There is even an option at checkout for custom cropping.

And as always, if you have specific questions that aren’t answered on this page, please contact me and I’ll be more than happy to talk to you over the phone or by email, or even walk you through the ordering process. When in doubt, contact me before ordering.

All final orders will be double-checked and verified personally by me to make sure every order looks absolutely perfect before going to print.

2 - Image Licensing and Stock Images

I am pleased to announce that every single image on this website is available for instant download to your computer – no waiting involved! An ever-increasing amount of our business these days has been electronic image sales for bloggers, web-designers, news media and those who want the image in electronic format only. Many of these are publishers, editors, and other media specialists who do not require the printed image for their work or project.

We have a system in place for instant downloading of high-resolution (.TIFF) images for both personal use and commercial use. Just choose the size you want and it’s yours instantly, and we’ve tried to make this new system easy and simple to use and understand. There are two types of downloads available for you to use immediately. Read more about uses and downloading options.

Commercial Royalty-Free:

This type of download is for use in business or enterprise. This can include editorial work, blogging, sales material, non-profit, pamphlets, brochures, inclusion in a website, or any other commercial application. If you are not sure, ask yourself, “Am I planning on making money with this image or using for a business-related project?” If this is the case, then this is the right type of license needed. This does not include printing images for resale, print publication, or digital resale. If you do need an extended license for commercial work that requires use in mass printing, television, film, or other related commercial uses, contact us at your earliest convenience so we can discuss and we’ll get you a fast and reasonable quote.

Personal Use:

This type of download is for an individual using the image for personal use only. This includes classroom usage, school projects, personal prints, screen savers, usage for painters and artists to create derivatives that aren’t commercial in nature, etc. Essentially for uses that you aren’t trying to make money from our work. If you have any questions or extra information regarding uses please contact us and we’ll get you pointed in the right direction.

3 - More Information about Customized Fine Art Prints and Special Orders

Ordering prints from our galleries just got even easier! Now we are offering not only prints, papers, metal prints, acrylic and metal wall displays but a whole new range of customized frames, mats, and other accessories! Most prints are shipped within three business days and come with a no questions asked 30 day return policy. (I’ll discuss the details with you directly before you order – some of these materials may not be listed in the galleries, and I will take those orders personally – contact me for more information)

Through our partnership with Fine Art America we offer the most customizable and easy way of providing you with the very best professional prints for your office, home or gallery.

Custom frames and mattes – design it with amazing online tools! (Contact us so we can set it up personally with you)
Metal Prints (printed directly onto high quality aluminum)
Acrylic Prints (looks amazing with float mounts)
Stretched canvas prints
Museum wraps
Gallery wraps
Choose from over 230 high-end frames and 100 mats
Specialty fine art papers – including watercolor and luster!
Even greeting cards! Many more options, and we’re adding more every week!

4 - Usage Guidelines: Copyright Notice

We appreciate that you would like to use our photographs and/or images for your own projects. Please ask if you would like to use photographs for a blog or any other specific use. We offer exclusive rights to some of our photographs and it is important that you contact us, as this can then get us into legal troubles.

You may not copy images for paintings, drawings, or in any form or derivative without written permission. Your easiest option would be to purchase a “personal use” discounted download.

You may not sell or resell any photograph/image that Rich or Galina Leighton has taken or created. We have in our employ two competing copyright violation services searching out illegal usage of our work. Legal steps will be taken if misuse of our copyrighted material is detected.

If you want to use one of our images, you are required to purchase or license, which is easily and instantly available for every image through the shopping cart. Either contact us for your needs or use the automated pricing option for each image when viewing individual images (“Add to Cart” button). Every image you see in our online galleries is registered with the United States Copyright Office, and we do follow up on every single infringement case, all around the world. If you have any questions about any of this, please contact us.

You may not copy images for paintings, drawings, or in any form or derivative without permission.

We work really hard to create these images. Please respect our copyright. Thank you.

American Pika

Yesterday afternoon and into the evening, I was on a family hiking trip as opposed to a serious photography trip to the Northern Cascades near the Washington/British Columbia border where I ran into a colony of American pikas on a subalpine hillside near Cascade Pass....

The Wildlife in Florida, the Sunshine State

Happy 2015! After an inexcusable absence, I'm back with some new photos! I've been working like a maniac lately (370+ hours in December of straight working conditions!) and trying to get all my ducks in a row to open a photography studio here in the Seattle, WA area....

In a Flash of Pink – Roseate Spoonbill!

Anyone who has ever tried to walk through mangroves tracking a roseate spoonbill – never mind with a backpack full of photography gear and holding a camera – knows that it is not easy. Twisted above-ground roots and protruding rhizomes make any travel slightly faster...

Bow River, Banff National Park

There is nothing as beautiful as the mist rising like wildfire smoke over a river on a very chilly Canadian Rocky Mountain winter sunrise This morning was no different than any other on the slippery edge of the hoarfrost-crusted Bow River just west of Calgary,...

A Phantom Familiarity – Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge

Today I visited a new place as I continue exploring Washington State and move farther and farther from my home to look for native wildlife to study, photograph, and eventually hope to write about with some degree of authority as I become more familiar with my...

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