Daily walkabout with a Nikon D5 camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens. Hummingbird Clearwing moth (white legs) feeding on Lemon Mint flowers. Note that I previously thought these were Bee Balm flowers.
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Daily Electric Energy Used (47.0 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (60.2 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Some clouds but still a net surplus of 13.2 kWh.
Weekly electric energy used (318 kWh) and solar electric energy produced (401 kWh) for a net surplus of 83 kWh.
Daily walkabout with a Nikon D810a camera and 70-300 mm VR lens. Mexican Sunflower, Butterflies (Painted Lady, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, and Spicebush Swallowtail), and Hummingbird Clearwing (white legs) Moth on a Lemon Mint Flower. Note, I previously thought that these were Bee Balm Flowers.
Mexican Sunflower. Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)Painted Lady Butterfly. Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 70-300 mm VR lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly. Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 70-300 mm VR lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)
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Hummingbird Clearwing moth on a Lemon Mint flower. Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 70-300 mm VR lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)Hummingbird Clearwing moth on a Lemon Mint flower. Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 70-300 mm VR lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Daily Electric Energy Used (54.3 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (64.4 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. One laundry load (3.0 kWh) and two dishwasher loads (~5 kWh). Still a net surplus of 10.1 kWh.
Monthly electric energy used (1664 kWh) and solar electric energy produced (1764 kWh) for a net surplus of 100 kWh.
More yard work. Continued installation of a drip hose to water both these shrubs and the daffodil patch (using rainwater collected in barrels). Also lots of mile-a-minute vine weeds needed to be pulled. Time-lapse video recorded with a Garmin VIRB-360 camera and the video processed with Photoshop CC (including the Little Planet view).
After the yard work I did my daily walkabout with a Nikon Df camera and 70-300 mm VR lens. The Nikon Df is the lightest of my full frame DSLR cameras. It uses the same sensor as the Nikon D4. Butterflies (Eastern Tiger Swallowtails and Common Buckeye), and Moths (Hummingbird Clearwing — the one with white legs). It was windy so the butterflies and moths needed to work harder while feeding on the Zinnia and Marigold flowers.
Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.
Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.
Daily Electric Energy Used (41.9 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (54.0 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Cooler outside but clouds blocking the sun part of the day for a net surplus of 12.1 kWh. Weekly totals Electric Energy Used (380 kWh), Solar Electric Energy Produced (378 kWh) for a weekly net deficit of 2 kWh.
It was much cooler, so I spent the morning catching up on yard work. The electric fence (not charged yet) is already helping the Forsythia and Lilac shrubs we planted earlier this spring. They have new leaves that the deer haven’t nibbled. I am in the process of installing a drip hose to water both these shrubs and the daffodil patch (using rainwater collected in barrels). The grass hadn’t been mowed in two weeks, so that also had to be done. Also lots of mile-a-minute vine weeds needed to be pulled. The walkway from the front to the patio was overgrown with tall Cosmos and Sunflowers that needed to be trimmed back. Time-lapse video recorded with a Garmin VIRB-360 camera and the video processed with Photoshop CC (including the Little Planet view).
After the yard work I did my daily walkabout with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens. The deer wondered why I mowed their lawn. In addition to the last week being hot, we only got 0.42 inches of rain. The water level in the pond is way down. Kermit the Bullfrog was only partially submerged in the middle of the pond in a section that is normally a couple feet deep. I only saw one Hummingbird Clearwing moth (white legs) feeding on a Bee Balm flower. The only recent new flower is a bright red Indian Paintbrush. Finally a beat up Monarch butterfly.
Fawn and Doe. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)Kermit the Bullfrog in the Pond. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 800, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/200 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)Hummingbird Clearwing moth feeding on a Bee Balm flower. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 800, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/160 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)Indian Paintbrush Flower. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 800, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/160 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)Monarch Butterfly. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 sec) (DAVID J MATHRE)
Daily Electric Energy Used (48.2 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (71.9 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Cooler outside and the sun was out most of the day for a net surplus of 23.7 kWh. Laundry used 3.7 kWh.
One note — the WaterFurnace Symphony software indicated the system used 3 kWh, however the Sense Energy monitor indicated that the geothermal heat pump used 5.4 kWh. I tend to believe the Sense numbers since they more closely the energy being recorded at the external power company (PSE&G) meters. I’ve asked the WaterFurnace folks in the past about the discrepancy, but they didn’t have a good answer. The Sense folks told me they thought that the WaterFurnace/Symphony system was only measuring one phase of the energy even though the system is powered by the 220V circuit (using two phases). I wish an electrical engineer that understands this better would correct me here.
Daily Walkabout, today with a Nikon D810a camera and 70-200 mm f/2.8 VR lens. This lens doesn’t quite have the reach, but the high resolution sensor allows the images to be blown up. The Hummingbird Clearwing moths really like the Bee Balm flowers.
Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.
Daily Electric Energy Used (58.7 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (43.2 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. The WaterFurnace geothermal HVAC had to work hard (21.4 kWh) because the temperature outside went above 90°F. Daily net deficit 15.5 kWh.
One note — the WaterFurnace Symphony software indicated the system used 13 kWh, however the Sense Energy monitor indicated that the geothermal heat pump used 21.4 kWh. I tend to believe the Sense numbers since they more closely the energy being recorded at the external power company (PSE&G) meters. I’ve asked the WaterFurnace folks in the past about the discrepancy, but they didn’t have a good answer. The Sense folks told me they thought that the WaterFurnace/Symphony system was only measuring one phase of the energy even though the system is powered by the 220V circut (using two phases). I wish an electrical engineer that understands this better would correct me here.
