by Rich Leighton | Mar 25, 2018 | Florida Nature Facts, Florida Nature Photography, Herps, Natural History, Reptiles
The cottonmouth, also known as the water moccasin, is the only semiaquatic viper, usually found in or near water, particularly in slow-moving and shallow lakes, streams, and marshes. The snake is a strong swimmer and even enters the sea. It has successfully colonized...
by Rich Leighton | Mar 20, 2018 | Birds, Florida Nature Facts, Florida Nature Photography, Natural History
The only raptor in North America that dives into the water after fish, the osprey is the sole bird of prey to feed only on fish. Weighing only 3 pounds, this strong flyer with a 6 foot wingspan can carry a trout of 2 or 3 pounds. The osprey’s only natural enemy,...
by Rich Leighton | Aug 18, 2017 | Amphibians, Florida, Florida Nature Photography, Frogs, Natural History, Nature & Wildlife, Nature Photography, Story, Tree Frogs
The Cuban treefrog is my #1 hated invasive species for a number of reasons ranging from ecological damage to personally anger-inducing events and even slightly barf-worthy situations. I’ll explain that last one in a moment. Cuban treefrogs are an invasive...
by Rich Leighton | Jun 29, 2017 | Birds, Florida, Florida Nature Photography, Natural History, Nature & Wildlife, Nature Photography, Photography
The anhinga is one of the most strange, beautiful and ancient birds of The Gulf Coast region of the Southeastern United States. When North America was split in half roughly 100 to 40 million years ago by a great inland sea called the Western Interior Seaway (...
by Rich Leighton | Mar 26, 2017 | Florida, Florida Nature Photography, Natural History, Nature & Wildlife, Nature Photography, Wildflowers
Today’s post is about one of my favorite wildflowers found in the swampy hardwood forests along the Gulf Coast – the cardinal flower. I was hiking through an area near Bristol, Florida called the “Garden of Eden Trail” when I spotted this...
by Rich Leighton | Mar 24, 2017 | Birds, Florida, Florida Nature Photography, Natural History, Nature & Wildlife, Nature Photography, Photography
Quick post for today. I’ve been sitting on this photo of a trio of black-necked stilts for a while because I saw something in it, but it just didn’t look right. Then I had one of those “a-ha!” moments and cropped it from a horizontal...
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