Florida Wildlife Calendar: May
Florida Nature Facts: Updated Daily
Featured Gallery of the Month: Amphibians!
Latest Photos, Videos and Recordings
Frequently Asked Questions
Florida Wildlife Calendar: May
- Brown pelican and white ibis young are now visible in nests.
- Painted Buntings nest through summer in northeast Florida.
- Snowy plovers nest on Panhandle beaches.
- Bald eagles begin migrating north.
- Breeding begins for many resident and summer songbirds.
- The last of the cedar waxwings and goldfinches head for their northern breeding grounds.
- Least terns nest on beaches, sandy flats, and flat gravel rooftops that look like beaches!
- Red-cockaded woodpeckers are breeding.
- Painted buntings nest through summer in northeast Florida.
- White-crowned pigeons begin nesting on mangrove islands in Florida Bay.
- Gray Bats congregate at maternity caves now through mid-July.
- Most bats give birth May through mid-June.
- Peak of the coyote denning season. (yes, we have coyotes in Florida)
- Courtship ritual of adult alligators begins, noted by the loud and resounding bellows and water slapping. Continues through June.
- The height of crocodile nesting in the Keys happens at the beginning of the month.
- Loggerhead sea turtles begin nesting on summer nights.
- Green sea turtles will begin nesting more abundantly now through September.
- Soft-shell and alligator snapping turtles complete egg laying.
- Bluegill are bedding at the full moon.
- Redbreast sunfish and spotted sunfish begin spawning in rivers.
- Pompano running in the surf in North Florida.
- Flathead catfish congregate below the Jim Woodruff Dam, Apalachicola River.
- Peak flight month for Schaus’ swallowtail butterfly in the Keys.
- The American lotus is in bloom in the wetlands.
- White swamp lilies dot wet prairies of the Everglades.
- The rose pogonia is starting to bloom in the swamps and wetlands of Central and North Florida.
- Snowy orchids begin to appear in seepage bogs around the state.
- May marks the very beginning of the ghost orchid season, but chances are most won’t be in flower until June or July.
Latest Photos, Videos and Recordings
Green Iguana
The green iguana, also known as the American iguana is a large attractive and often strikingly-colored lizard in the Iguanidae family that is native to the Caribbean Islands, Central America and most of the northern half of South America. Although they are are...
Florida Nature Facts #161 – Florida Scrub Jay
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. VISIT THE BIRDS GALLERY MORE FLORIDA NATURE...
Florida Nature Facts #156 – Garter Snakes
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...
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.
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