Month: July 2019

Friday (26-July-2019) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Noontime Walkabout with a Nikon D5 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (using a monopod because of the weight). Birds, Bees, Butterflies (including a pair of Sulphurs mating). And of course Hummingbird Clearwing Moths. The final slideshow is of Hummingbird Clearwing Moths in flight. It is a target rich environment right now in my wildflower meadows.

Goldfinch looking for a Cornflower for lunch. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Goldfinch looking for a Cornflower for lunch. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Pair of Bumblebees on a Sunflower. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Pair of Bumblebees on a Sunflower. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on a Sunflower. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on a Sunflower. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Monarch butterfly Zinnia flower. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Monarch butterfly on an orange Zinnia flower. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Pair of Sulphur butterflies mating. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Pair of Sulphur butterflies mating. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)


Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) moth. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.



Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) moth. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.


Daily Electric Energy Used (51.4 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (80.7 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Daily surplus of 29.3 kWh.

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Thursday (25-July-2019) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

One of the wildflower meadows with lots of Zinnia flowers in bloom has attracted dozens and dozens of butterflies and clearwing moths. I set up a Garmin VIRB-360 camera for a time-lapse video of the wildflower meadow. [Note – the post will be updated later with the time-lapse video.] I also took a series of images with a Nikon 1 V3 camera with a 70-300 mm VR lens. Butterflies: Monarch, Tiger Swallowtail, and Common Buckeye. Moth: Clearwing Hummingbird (Hemaris thysbe). While walking back to the house I saw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird feeding on the taller Cosmos flowers. I was happy that I had this camera & lens since I was able to get a series of pictures from 10 meters away without scaring the hummingbird away.


Butterflies. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.



Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) moth. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.



Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) moth. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.



Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.



Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.



Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.


Daily Electric Energy Used (54.9 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (81.5 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. The amount of Electric Energy used was up a bit, mainly due to a load of laundry. It was a sunny day so the solar electricity production was up for a surplus of 26.6 kWh. Helps to make up for some of the previous very hot (increased usage) and rainy (decreased solar production) days.

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Wednesday (24-July-2019) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Late Afternoon Daily Walkabout. Nikon Df camera with a 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens. Butterflies (Spiceberry and Tiger Swallowtails, Monarch, Silver-spotted Skipper, Common Buckeye, and another variety of a Skipper); Birds (Goldfinch and unknown); Flowers (Coneflowers, Partridge Pea, Sunflower, Four O’Clock, and Burma Water Gourd Vine). The yellow Partridge Pea flowers and Four O’Clock flowers are new. The Burma water gourd flowers open at night, and probably need a moth to be pollinated. Last year they didn’t bloom until too late in the season, and I only got small (zucchini sized) gourds.


Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.



Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.



Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.


Daily Electric Energy Used (50.5 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (75.5 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. With lower temperatures the amount of Electric Energy used was down 1.5 kWh and with the sun out most of the day the solar electricity production was up 44.0 kWh from yesterday for a surplus of 25 kWh. Helps to make up for some of the previous very hot (increased usage) and rainy (decrease solar production) days.

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Wednesday (24-July-2019) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Morning Daily Walkabout. Nikon D850 camera with a 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens. Butterflies (Spiceberry and Tiger Swallowtails, Monarch, and Common Buckeye. Both Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) and Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris diffinis) moths. I also saw one of the bull frogs near the pond. If you look closely at the final image you can see a Mosquito above the frog’s eye.


Butterflies. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.



Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) moth. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.



Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) moth. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.



Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris diffinis) moths. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.



Kermit the Bull Frog. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.


Kermit the Frog with a Mosquito above its eye (cropped). Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 100-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (ISO 900, 500 mm, f/5.6. 1/1000 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Kermit the Frog with a Mosquito above its eye (cropped). Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 100-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (ISO 900, 500 mm, f/5.6. 1/1000 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)

Daily Electric Energy Used (50.5 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (75.5 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. With lower temperatures the amount of Electric Energy used was down 1.5 kWh and with the sun out most of the day the solar electricity production was up 44.0 kWh from yesterday for a surplus of 25 kWh. Helps to make up for some of the previous very hot (increased usage) and rainy (decrease solar production) days.

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Tuesday (23-July-2019) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

The Daily Walkabout didn’t happen as it was raining most of the day. At least it is a lot cooler outside. The high was 74 °F, 19 °F lower than yesterday. Now up to 1.80 inches of rain over three days. Just before dinnertime, I noticed that there were two fawns with spots in the lawn just behind my patio. Their mother was nowhere in sight. In the last image, I noticed that the rabbit is still around, and didn’t get eaten by the coyotes in the neighborhood.


Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.



Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.



Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.


Daily Electric Energy Used (52.0 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (31.5 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. The amount of Electric Energy used was down 26 kWh from yesterday, but still a 20.5 kWh deficit because of the clouds limiting the solar production.

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