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.

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Monday (21-March-2022) — New Jersey

Springtime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard: Mourning Dove, Turkey Vulture, Dark-eyed Junco. The Turkey Vultures were soaring in the late afternoon thermals looking for a meal.


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


Turkey Vultures in Flight. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Purple Crocus and Forsythia flowers. Now that it is officially spring, the Forsythia shrubs have started turning bright yellow.


Purple Crocus and Forsythia flowers in my Backyard. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (70.3 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (64.9 kWh) from Sense. Sunny. Deficit of 5.4 kWh. The solar panels are 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.

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Wednesday (16-March-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in the backyard: Mourning Dove, Turkey Vulture, American Robin. The birds seem to be avoiding the patio and birdfeeder.


Birds of the day. 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.


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

Outdoor Daffodil, Snow Drop, Purple Crocus, and Vinca Minor flowers. The Purple Crocuses and some of the Daffodils are in my backyard.


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


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


Snow Drop and Vinca Minor flowers. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (69.8 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (58.9 kWh) from Sense. Sunny. Deficit of 10.9 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.