March, 2022 - David Mathre Photography

Saturday (26-March-2022) — New Jersey

Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard: Mourning Dove, House Finch, Northern Cardinal.

Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Indoor Hydroponic Flowers. The California Poppies continue to bloom (yellow, white, orange, pink). No new other poppies opened. Many poppy flower buds have appeared with some looking like they may open tomorrow. Several Calendula flowers are blooming (yellow and orange). The Celosia is blooming, hidden under the California Poppies. Strange flower.

California Poppy Flowers. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Icelandic Poppy, Celosia, and Calendula Flowers. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Outdoor Backyard Daffodil Flowers. Five of my Forsythia shrubs are yellow. The deer must have nibbled the other ones. Still a few weeks before the Lilacs start to bloom.

Outdoor Backyard Daffodil Flowers. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Weekly Indoor Hydroponic Updates. Bounty-01 (Day 34). Bok Choi doing well, nearly ready to harvest. Bounty-02 (Day 69) The Black-seeded Simpson and Rouge d’Hiver lettuce doing well. Harvesting leaves every other day. The Genovese Basil is doing well. I’ve needed to top off the water every day and add fertilizer every other day. Bounty-03 (Day 61). Dill and Genovese Basil doing well. The Italian and Curly Parsley starting to get bigger. Bounty-04 (Day 34): Various Basil. A1: Dark Opal; A2: Cinnamon; A3: Genovese; B1: Holy; B2: Italian Large Leaf; B3: Lemon; B4: Lime; C1: Sweet; C2: Thai.

Bounty-01, Bounty-02, Bounty-03, Bounty-04. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

AeroGarden Farm-01L (Day 68). California Poppy, Oriental Poppy, Lauren’s Grape Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-01R (Day 68). Hungarian Bread Seed Poppy, Red Poppy, Turkish Tulip Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-02L (Day 68). Somn Blend Poppy, Red Poppy Red Poppy, Red Mix Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-02R (Day 68). Oriental Poppy, Hungarian Bread Seed Poppy, Turkish Tulip Poppy, Red Poppy, Red Poppy, Somn Blend Poppy.

Farm-01L, Farm-01R, Farm-02L, Farm-02R. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

AeroGarden Farm-03L and Farm-03R (Day 61). Kale, Collard Greens, Spinach, Mustard Greens. All of the greens are growing fast, and producing large leaves. I am having to harvest the largest leaves to provide light to the smaller plants. AeroGarden Farm-04L and Farm-04R (Day 61). Oregano, Rosemary, Tarragon, Thyme, and Sage. AeroGarden Farm-05L Day 20. (A1, A2, A3): Dark Opal Basil; (B1, B2, B3); Cinnamon Basil; (C1, C2, C3) Genovese Basil; (D1, D2, D3): Holy Basil. AeroGarden Farm-05R Day 34. (A1, A2, A3): Italian Large Leaf Basil; (B1, B2, B3); Lemmon Basil; (C1, C2, C3) Lime Basil; (D1, D2, D3): Sweet Basil.

Farm-03L, Farm-03R, Farm-04L, Farm-04R, Farm-05L, Farm-05R. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

AeroGarden Farm-06L (Day 52). Snapdragon (A1); Chrysanthemum (A2, A3); Iceland Poppy (B1, B2); Sweet William (B3), Columbine (C1, C2, C3); Osteospermum (D1, D2); Blue Daisy (D3). AeroGarden Farm-06R (Day 34). Various types of lettuce. Red Sails (A1, A2, A3, B3); Deer Tongue (B1, B2); Black-seeded Simpson (C1, C2); Rouge d’Hiver (C3, D3); Paris Island (D1, D2). AeroGarden Farm-07L (Day 34/46). Golden Harvest Tomatoes. AeroGarden Farm-0R (Day 34/46). Heirloom Red Tomatoes. Some of the tomatoes have started to bloom. Trying to pollinate with the battery-operated “Busy Bee”

Farm-06L, Farm-06R, Farm-07L, Farm-07R. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

AeroGarden Farm-08L (Day 47). A1, A2, A3 Calendula. B1, B2, B3, Osteospermum. C1, C2, C3 Sweet William. D1, D2, D3 Snapdragon. AeroGarden Farm-08R (Day 47). A1, A2, A3 Calendula. B1, B2, B3, Osteospermum. C1, C2, C3 Sweet William. D1, D2, D3 Snapdragon.AeroGarden Farm-09L (Day 47). A1, A2, A3 Chrysanthemum. B1, B2, B3, Iceland Poppy. C1, C2, C3 Chrysanthemum. D1, D2, D3 Iceland Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-09R Seed Starter (Day 7). Row A: California Poppy (American Meadows, 2018) 0/8; Row B: Oriental Poppy (American Meadows, 2019) 0/10; Row C: Lauren Grape Poppy Seeds (Marde Ross & Company, 2020) 0/11; Row D: Hungarian Breadseed Poppy Seeds (Plant Good Seed, 2020) 3/10; Row E: Red Poppy Seeds (American Meadows, 2019) 1/8; Row F: Turkish Tulip Poppy Seeds (Waterfall Seeds, 2020) 3/10; Row G: Somniferum Blend Poppy Seeds (Seed Needs, 2020) 10/11; Row H: Red Poppy Seeds (American Meadows, 2019) 2/9; Row I: Mixed Red Poppy Seeds (American Meadows, 2019) 1/8. Problem with not all of the seed sponges getting hydrated. I tried increasing the liquid level in the tray, and manually (twice a day) dousing the dry ones with water.

Farm-08L, Farm-08R, Farm-09L, Farm-09R. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

AeroGarden Farm-10L (Day 68). California Poppy, Oriental Poppy, Lauren’s Grape Poppy. The odd plant is Celosia. More California Poppy flowers have opened. Now a mix of white, light yellow and red, and orange. AeroGarden Farm-10R (Day 68). Hungarian Bread Seed Poppy, Red Poppy, Turkish Tulip Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-11 (Day 68). Somn Blend Poppy, Red Poppy Red Poppy, Red Mix Poppy. One of the Mixed Red Poppy plants has produced its first Pink Poppy Flower. The last time I tried Red Poppies indoors in a hydroponic garden it took 124 days before they started to bloom.

Farm-10L, Farm-10R, Farm-11. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (74.5 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (43.7 kWh) from Sense. Sun and clouds. Deficit of 30.8 kWh.

Friday (25-March-2022) — New Jersey

Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard: Downy Woodpecker, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco. Same birds as yesterday. I put out some black oil sunflower seeds to see if some of the others return.

Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

One of the Icelandic Poppy flowers bloomed today. I didn’t quite get the beginning of the opening for a time-lapse video. In the video you can see a Lady Beetle moving about. After spending the winter indoors, they seem to be looking to get back outside.

Icelandic Poppy Flower. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (73.7 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (37.6 kWh) from Sense. Cloudy. Deficit of 36.1 kWh.

Thursday (24-March-2022) — New Jersey

Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard: Downy Woodpecker, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco.

Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

The indoor hydroponic garden California Poppies continue to bloom and a Calendula flower opened. I’ve included time-lapse video of the Calendula flower and several Icelandic Poppy flower buds that are about the open. I am amazed by how much the plants move during the day. Also, keep a lookout for the Stink Bug.

California Poppy Flowers. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Pot Marigold. (David J Mathre) — Calendula (Pot Marigold) flower about to open. Indoor hydroponic garden. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and Sigma 70 mm f/2.8 macro lens. (David J Mathre)

Daily Electric Energy Used (83.2 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (9.0 kWh) from Sense. Cloudy and rain. Deficit of 74.2 kWh.

Wednesday (23-March-2022) — New Jersey

Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard: Downy Woodpecker, European Starling, Dark-eyed Junco.

Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

The indoor hydroponic garden California Poppies continue to bloom. Calendula flower starting to open. One of the Basil plants is starting to bolt with a white flower. One of the Heirloom Red Tomato plants is starting to produce small yellow flowers that need to be pollinated by hand since there are no bees inside the house. Several poppy buds (Mixed Red, Turkish Tulip, and Icelandic) have appeared. Can’t wait to see what the flowers look like.

Indoor Hydroponic Flowers (and flower buds). Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (81.4 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (34.5 kWh) from Sense. Cloudy much of the day. Deficit of 46.9 kWh.

Tuesday (22-March-2022) — New Jersey

Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard: Turkey Vulture, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco.

Birds of the day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

The identity of the Bald Eagle with the Green D99 band I observed in my backyard on 27-February-2022 and 28-February-2022 was confirmed, and I received a Certificate of Appreciation from the USGS.

The indoor hydroponic garden California Poppies continue to bloom. Looks like many more to come.

California Poppy Flowers. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

The Pink Poppy flower lost all of its petals, leaving the poppy seed pod. Early in the evening I noticed a Stink Bug feeding on the seed pod. I tried to catch it, but it got away. Two hours later, the Stink Bug was back feeding on the seed pod. This time I was able to remove the Stink Bug (with prejudice).

Poppy Seed Pod. (David J Mathre) — Pink Poppy Seed Pod. Indoor hydroponic garden. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and Sigma 70 mm f/2.8 macro lens. (David J Mathre)

Stink Bug on a Poppy Seed Pod. (David J Mathre) — Stink Bug feeding on a Poppy seed pod. Image taken with a Leica SL2s camera and 24 mm f/14 macro probe lens. (David J Mathre)

Daily Electric Energy Used (67.9 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (63.4 kWh) from Sense. Sunny. Deficit of 4.54 kWh. The solar panels re almost producing more power than I am using. Soon, I will be able to start growing things outside and will be able to turn off the indoor hydroponic units.