Month: March 2020

Saturday (21-March-2020) — New Jersey

Indoor Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Large pink Zinnia flowers blooming in the indoor AeroGarden hydroponic farm.

Indoor Hydroponic Zinnia Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/6.4, 1/170 sec). (David J Mathre)
Indoor Hydroponic Zinnia Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/6.4, 1/170 sec). (David J Mathre)
Indoor Hydroponic Zinnia Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/6.4, 1/180 sec). (David J Mathre)
Indoor Hydroponic Zinnia Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/6.4, 1/180 sec). (David J Mathre)
Indoor Hydroponic Zinnia Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/6.4, 1/170 sec). (David J Mathre)
Indoor Hydroponic Zinnia Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/6.4, 1/170 sec). (David J Mathre)
Indoor Hydroponic Zinnia Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/6.4, 1/70 sec). (David J Mathre)
Indoor Hydroponic Zinnia Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/6.4, 1/70 sec). (David J Mathre)

Daily Electric Energy Used (53.6 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (67.5 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Bright and sunny day with a surplus of 13.9 kWh.

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Friday (20-March-2020) — New Jersey

Indoor Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

I finally got the PhotoShelter plugin that allows me to upload images from my PhotoShelter Gallery to this photoblog working again. While we are all “sheltering in place” and “social distancing” I can catch up on my images and posts. Ambient Weather changed some things and I am trying to get the local weather conditions from my weather station to display at the end of the post again.

Today’s image is a focus-stacked Orange Gazania flower blooming in one of my AeroGarden indoor hydroponic farms. The flower closes at night and then reopens when the LED lights come on again.

Orange Gazania. Focus-stacked composite of 12 images taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens and 2.0x teleconverter (ISO 100, 210 mm, f/6, 1/30 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and Helicon Focus. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Orange Gazania. Focus-stacked composite of 12 images taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens and 2.0x teleconverter (ISO 100, 210 mm, f/6, 1/30 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro and Helicon Focus. (DAVID J MATHRE)

Daily Electric Energy Used (59.0 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (30.4 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Foggy and cloudy in the morning. A deficit of 28.6 kWh.

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Thursday (19-March-2020) — New Jersey

Indoor Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Today is the “First Day of Spring”. I read somewhere that this is the earliest first day in over 100 years. Something to do with this being a leap year and that 2000 had a once every 400 year leap day. Two indoor hydroponic flowers today — an Orange Gazania and a Dianthus blooming in one of my AeroGarden indoor hydroponic farms. Soon I will be able to start planting seeds outdoors in my wildflower meadows.

Orange Gazania. Image taken with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 1000, 80 mm, f/11, 1/60 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Orange Gazania. Image taken with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 1000, 80 mm, f/11, 1/60 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Dianthus Flowers. Image taken with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 1000, 80 mm, f/11, 1/60 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Dianthus Flowers. Image taken with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 1000, 80 mm, f/11, 1/60 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Orange Gazania. Image taken with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 640, 80 mm, f/11, 1/60 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Orange Gazania. Image taken with a Fuji X-T3 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 640, 80 mm, f/11, 1/60 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)

Daily Electric Energy Used (65.4 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (17.3 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Cloudy and rainy most of the day. A deficit of 48.1 kWh.

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Wednesday (18-March-2020) — New Jersey

Late Winter Outdoor Nature in New Jersey.

Today is the “Last Day of Winter”. We really didn’t have much winter this year. Warm, a lot of rain, and very little snow. Images today of Purple Crocus flowers, Daffodils, and Forsythia. Last spring I planted a row of Forsythia along the road. Unfortunately, the local deer did a lot of nibbling and only a few of the plants survived. I should have installed an electric fence earlier. ARRG!!!

Purple Crocus Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 200 mm f/2 OIS lens and 1.4x teleconverter (ISO 200, 280 mm, f/11, 1/70 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Purple Crocus Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 200 mm f/2 OIS lens and 1.4x teleconverter (ISO 200, 280 mm, f/11, 1/70 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Purple Crocus Flowers. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 200 mm f/2 OIS lens and 1.4x teleconverter (ISO 200, 280 mm, f/11, 1/160 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Purple Crocus Flowers. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 200 mm f/2 OIS lens and 1.4x teleconverter (ISO 200, 280 mm, f/11, 1/160 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)


Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter Gallery with the individual images in the following slideshow.


Daily Electric Energy Used (61.2 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (60.5 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Sunny most of the day. All most self-sufficient with a deficit of only 0.7 kWh.

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Tuesday (17-March-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Squirrel on the patio.

Daily Electric Energy Used (60.4 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (30.2 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Lots of clouds during the day. A deficit of 30.2 kWh.

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