Saturday (04-September-2021) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed at the birdfeeder and in the backyard: Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, Tufted Titmouse, Black-capped Chickadee, House Finch, Northern Cardinal.


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

Flowers of the day: Blanket Flower, Butterfly Bush, Canna, Cosmos, Evening Primrose, Four O’Clock, Marigold, Morning Glory, Rose Mallow, Sunflower and Zinnia.


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


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

I took my bike out for a spin to see the damage from Tropical Storm Ida on Hollow road. The bridge on Grandview road crossing Rock Brook to Hollow road is closed (blocked by a downed tree). Once on Hollow road I was amazed by the damage. The brook must have been many feet over its bank. There were homes destroyed, vehicles in the woods, pavement washed away. It will be some time before everything can be repaired. The following is a Little Planet time-lapse video of the bike ride.

Daily Electric Energy Used (46.4 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (59.7kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Mostly sunny. Surplus of 13.3 kWh.

Wednesday (02-June-2021) — New Jersey

Springtime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Lot of images today. Birds, Frogs, Snakes, Insects, and Flowers. The Brood X Cicadas are everywhere and continue singing their love song.

Birds viewed in the backyard and near the patio birdfeeder: American Robin, House Finch. The American Robin was feeding on a Cicada.


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

Kermit the Bullfrog and all of his relatives in the pond are getting fat fast this spring. Presumably out feeding on the Cicadas.


Bullfrogs in the pond. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

While working on the back wildflower meadow, I turned over some cardboard and found this Garter Snake.


Garter Snake. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Insects/bugs observed during the day include Cicada (Brood X), Dragonfly, Damselfly, Grasshopper, Cabbage White Butterfly, Water-walker, and tick(?).


Insects and other bugs. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Spring flowers blooming: Love-in-a-Mist, Red Poppy, California Poppy, Sweet Alyssum, Rhododendron, Baby Blue Eyes, Sweet William, Daisy, Blue-eyed Grass, Beardtongue Foxglove, Siberian Wallflower, Evening Primrose, Clematis, Honeysuckle, and Poison Ivy. The Poison Ivy flowers were on a giant 3 inch diameter vine climbing on a dead tree.


Love-in-a-Mist. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


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


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


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


Poison Ivy Vine and Flowers. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (51.7 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (56.2 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Sun and clouds. A surplus of 4.5 kWh.

Monday (07-September-2020) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day: Blue Jay, Gray Catbird, Northern Cardinal.


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

Neighborhood cat sitting under the birdfeeder. The reason not many birds visited the birdfeeder today.


Neighborhood Cat Posing for a Portrait. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Morning walkabout looking for flowers. White Morning Glory, Sunflower, Cosmos, Evening Primrose, Four O’clock. In the first Morning Glory image you can see the blue “Mile-a-minute” berries/seeds.


Flowers and Wildflowers. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Later in the morning I went out to spray the invasive “Mile-a-Minute” vine with a biosafe herbicide.

Daily Electric Energy Used (50.2 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (57.5 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Sun and clouds. A surplus of 7.3 kWh.

Wednesday (10-June-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Kermit with two Mosquitoes. Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Kermit with two Mosquitoes on its back. Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)

Birds of the Day — Gray Catbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Northern Cardinal, and unidentified immature birds. The Eastern Phoebe has been spending time on the nest. When it is away the nest has also been visited by a female Brown-headed Cowbird and a Carolina Wren.


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

Spring flowers of the day — Red, Pink, Oriental, and California Poppies. Love-in-a-mist, Blue Chicory, Daisy, Impatiens, Delphinium, Larkspur, Partridge Pea, Evening Primrose, Sweet William, and Lance-leaf Coreopsis .


Poppies. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Spring Wildflowers. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (57.8 kWh) from meter reading. The daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (72.1 kWh) from meter reading. Much more sun. A surplus of 14.3 kWh.



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Monday (08-May-2020) — New Jersey

Backyard Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Back Wildflower Meadow. Last year this was a mixture of wildflowers and sunflowers. The sunflowers dominated. In the fall I used the brush mower to cut everything down. I didn’t plant additional seeds and this is the result. The plants that I have identified include Red Poppy, Lance-leaf Coreopsis, Bachelor Button, Cornflowers (various colors — white, pink, purple), Sweet William (various colors — white, pink, red, dark-red), and Evening Primrose. I haven’t seen any sunflowers, so the birds and mice got all of those seeds.

Wildflower Meadow. Composite images taken with a Leica CL camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 400, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Wildflower Meadow. Composite images taken with a Leica CL camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 400, 35 mm, f/8, 1/80 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)


Back Wildflower Meadow. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Birds of the Day — Brown-headed Cowbird, Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse and lots of immature/junior birds.


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

Daily Electric Energy Used (50.1 kWh) from meter reading. The daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (89.3 kWh) from meter reading. Much more sun. A surplus of 39.2 kWh.


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