Visitors backyard and the patio birdfeeder: Turkey Vulture, House Finch, Chipping Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, Northern Cardinal.
Daily backyard visitors. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.
Early spring flowers blooming: Daffodils, Grape Hyacinth, Garlic, Onion, Pieris japonica, and Tulip. The Pieris japonica (Japanese Andromeda) is one of the few shrubs in my yard that the deer avoid.
Early Spring Flowers. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.
Daily Electric Energy Used (41.7 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (14.7 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Cloudy. A deficit of 27.0 kWh.
Daily walkabout. Lots of Spring flowers: Grape Hyacinth, Daffodil, Dandelion, Violet, Plum Tree, Maple Tree, Pear Tree, and Tulips. The Grape Hyacinth bulbs were planted last spring — supposed to have been planted the previous fall. I thought the deer were nibbling the plants as they started to emerge this spring, but now are in full bloom. The section of Daffodils along the street on the west side of the house is now four years old, and keeps getting better. Only about half of the Tulips from last year on the patio remain. Deer nibbled on the accessible plants as they emerged.
Row of Purple Grape Hyacinth flowers. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 100 mm, f/6.4, 1/850 sec). (David J Mathre)Daffodills in bloom. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 100 mm, f/6.4, 1/1000 sec). (David J Mathre)Dandelion and wild Violet flowers. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (ISO 200, 400 mm, f/6.4, 1/680 sec). (David J Mathre)
Tree Flowers. Images taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens. Individual images in the slideshow can be viewed in my PhotoShelter Gallery.
Tulips. Images taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens. Individual images in the slideshow can be viewed in my PhotoShelter Gallery. (David J Mathre)
Daily Electric Energy Used (53.8 kWh) from Sense Home Energy Monitor and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (74.3 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Lots of sun (some clouds). A surplus of 20.5 kWh.
There are plants and flowers that the deer don’t like — daffodils, dandelions, purple crocus, wild violets, and Pieris japonica. I have just planted a number of forsythia and lilac bushes. I hope the deer stay away from them. The flowers in the trees (cherry, plum, and maple) are high enough so the deer are not able to reach. The vegetable garden, tulips and other flowers that I need to worry about are behind an electric fence to deter the deer.
Daffodil Bloom. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Dandelion Bloom. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens (DAVID J MATHRE)Purple Crocus Bloom. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens (DAVID J MATHRE)Wild Violet Blooms. New Jersey State Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens (DAVID J MATHRE)Pieris japonica Blooms. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Forsythia Flowers Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens (DAVID J MATHRE)Forsythia Flowers. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens (DAVID J MATHRE)Tulip about to Bloom. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Daily Power Use (61.6 kWh) and Solar Production (63.6 kWh) from Sense.
Several varieties of Daffodils are in bloom. The deer ignore the daffodils. I found a couple of Grape Hyacinths (muscari). It looks like the deer nibble on the green leaves, but leave the flowers. I am not sure where they come from as I don’t remember planting these. There are also wild violets in the lawn all through the backyard. Way back from the house is a tree covered with small white flowers. I think it is a Bradford pear tree. I didn’t see any bees near the flowers? My Plum tree is about to bloom, and the Japanese Maple tree is turning bright red. I assembled a Garden Tower to plant Herbs and Vegetables up on the patio (hopefully away from the deer). I also moved the cactus that have spent the winter inside the house out onto the patio.
The leaves on the Japanese maple tree have faded from bright red to brown. Yesterday, some birds found the newly renovated bird bath. They will have to wait until next spring for me to install the solar-powered fountain. The three inquisitive but wary does looked on as I was taking pictures of the statue on the bird bath. Now that it is hunting season, the deer know that they need to stay within 400 feet of a house in order to stay safe.
Newly Renovated Bird Bath and Stature. Autumn Backyard Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon Df camera and 28 mm f/1.8 lens (ISO 100, 28 mm, f/4, 1/400 sed) (David J Mathre)Trio of wary does in the afternoon sun. Autumn Backyard Nature in New Jersey. Image taken with a Leica T camera and 55-135 mm lens (ISO 100, 135 mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec). (David J Mathre)
