Saturday (12-March-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard, at the birdfeeder and on the patio: Black-capped Chickadee, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Northern Cardinal. The birds return on days it snows.


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

Snowy day in March. Monochrome images taken with a Leica Q2m camera.


Snowy Day. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Indoor Hydroponic Updates. Bounty-01 (Day 20). Bok Choi doing well. Bounty-02 (Day 55) 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 47). Dill and Genovese Basil doing well. The Italian and Curly Parsley starting to get bigger. Bounty-04 (Day 20): Basil seedlings transplanted from Farm 09R. A1: Dark Opal; A2: Cinnamon; A3: Genovese; B1: Holy; B2: Italian Large Leaf; B3: Lemon; B4: Lime; C1: Sweet; C2: Thai. I have to check the Bok Choi every day for Stink Bugs.


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

AeroGarden Farm-01L (Day 54). California Poppy, Oriental Poppy, Lauren’s Grape Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-01R (Day 54). Hungarian Bread Seed Poppy, Red Poppy, Turkish Tulip Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-02L (Day 54). Somn Blend Poppy, Red Poppy Red Poppy, Red Mix Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-02R (Day 54). 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 47). 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 47). 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 15. (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 38). 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 20). 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 20/32). Golden Harvest Tomatoes. AeroGarden Farm-0R (Day 20/32). Heirloom Red Tomatoes.


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

AeroGarden Farm-08 (Day 54). California Poppy, Oriental Poppy, Lauren’s Grape Poppy. The odd plant is Celosia. More California Poppy flowers have opened. Now a mix of light yellow and red-orange. AeroGarden Farm-08R (Day 54). Hungarian Bread Seed Poppy, Red Poppy, Turkish Tulip Poppy. AeroGarden Farm-09L (Day 54). Somn Blend Poppy, Red Poppy Red Poppy, Red Mix Poppy. One of the Red Poppy plants has produced a flower bud. The last time I tried Red Poppies indoors in a hydroponic garden it took 124 days before it bloomed. AeroGarden Farm-09R Seed Starter (Day 20). Nine different Basil varieties. Row A: Dark Opal Basil (6/9). Row B: Cinnamon Basil (9/9). Row C: Genovese Basil (8/10). Row D: Holy Basil (8/11). Row E: Italian Large Leaf Basil (8/8). Row F: Lemon Basil (9/10). Row G: Lime Basil (10/11). Row H. Sweet Basil (9/9). Row I: Thai Basil (6/8).


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

AeroGarden Farm-10L (Day 33). A1, A2, A3 Calendula. B1, B2, B3, Osteospermum. C1, C2, C3 Sweet William. D1, D2, D3 Snapdragon. AeroGarden Farm-10R (Day 33). A1, A2, A3 Calendula. B1, B2, B3, Osteospermum. C1, C2, C3 Sweet William. D1, D2, D3 Snapdragon. AeroGarden Farm-11 (Day 33). A1, A2, A3 Chrysanthemum. B1, B2, B3, Iceland Poppy. C1, C2, C3 Chrysanthemum. D1, D2, D3 Iceland Poppy.


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

The California Poppies (Red, Orange, Yellow, Pink-White) are blooming in Farm-01L and Farm-08L. Single images and Time-Lapse videos of them opening and closing. Each one lasts about 4 days


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

Daily Electric Energy Used (93.4 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (0.4 kWh) from Sense. Solar panels covered with snow. Deficit of 93.0 kWh. I should note that the Solar monitoring from SolSystem via Locus Energy stopped working since the Locus LG-120 meter uses 3G cellular to connect. ATT has turned off 3G cellular.

Friday (11-March-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard, at the birdfeeder and on the patio: Dark-eyed Junco.

Dark-eyed Junco. (David J Mathre)
Dark-eyed Junco. Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 600 mm f/4 VR lens. (David J Mathre)

Indoor hydroponic California Poppy flower opening. Time-lapse Video. Images taken every one minute using a Leica SL2s camera and Laowa 24 mm f/14 macro probe lens.

Time-lapse video of yardwork on Red Rover. I needed to prepare for a storm predicted for tomorrow. Rain, snow, heavy wind, and temperatures dropping well below zero. The bulbs in Soft Pots that started to sprout needed to be brought back into the garage. Also, the Garden Shed that I had been storing the tractor implements blew over during the last windstorm. I was able to set it back up, but two of the ground anchors failed. For this upcoming storm, I decided to anchor the shed from within using a pallet of fertilizer.

Daily Electric Energy Used (81.8 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (58.5 kWh) from Sense. Sunny. Deficit of 23.8 kWh. I should note that the Solar monitoring from SolSystem via Locus Energy stopped working since the Locus LG-120 meter uses 3G cellular to connect. ATT has turned off 3G cellular.


I’ve re-added the feed from my Ambient Weather Station.

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Thursday (10-March-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard, at the birdfeeder and on the patio: Black Vulture, Downy Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Dark-eyed Junco, Song Sparrow.


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

Indoor hydroponic California Poppy flowers. Pink/White and Orange/Red. Time-lapse Video of Yellow and Red California Poppy Flowers. Images taken every one minute using a Leica SL2s camera and Laowa 24 mm f/14 macro probe lens.


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


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

Outdoor early wildflowers after an early morning rainstorm: Purple Crocus, Yellow Daffodil. Images taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens.


Purple Crocus and Daffodil Flowers. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Purple Crocus and Daffodil Flowers. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (83.7 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (50.4 kWh) from Sense. Sunny with some clouds. Deficit of 33.3 kWh. I should note that the Solar monitoring from SolSystem via Locus Energy stopped working since the Locus LG-120 meter uses 3G cellular to connect. ATT has turned off 3G cellular.

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Wednesday (09-March-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard, at the birdfeeder and on the patio: Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal.


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

Time-lapse Video of Yellow and Red California Poppy Flowers. Images taken every one minute using a Leica SL2s camera and Laowa 24 mm f/14 macro probe lens.

Daily Electric Energy Used (96.5 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (6.8 kWh) from Sense. Cloudy and rainy. Deficit of 89.7 kWh. I should note that the Solar monitoring from SolSystem via Locus Energy stopped working since the Locus LG-120 meter uses 3G cellular to connect. ATT has turned off 3G cellular.

Tuesday (08-March-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard, at the birdfeeder and on the patio: Mourning Dove. I don’t know if it is the warmer weather, or if a raptor is lurking nearby. The birds were staying away from the patio and birdfeeders.

Mourning Dove. (David J Mathre)
Mourning Dove. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens. (David J Mathre)

Outdoors, Snow Drops, and the first Daffodil flowers of the season.


Daffodils and Snow Drops. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Time-lapse video of a red California Poppy opening and closing. Also a bit of a pale yellow California Poppy starting to close. Images taken every 60 seconds with a Leica SL2s camera and Laowa 24 mm f/14 macro probe lens.

Daily Electric Energy Used (68.0 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (52.7 kWh) from Sense. Sun and some clouds. Deficit of 15.3 kWh. I should note that the Solar monitoring from SolSystem via Locus Energy stopped working since the Locus LG-120 meter uses 3G cellular to connect. ATT has turned off 3G cellular.