I’m having a real problem with the deer. They were up on my patio during the night eating my tomato and strawberry plants. The electric fence doesn’t seem to work at keeping them out anymore. The first video is from a security camera in infrared at night, the second video is with a Nikon 1V3 camera through my kitchen window just as the Air Dancer Scarecrow is triggered.
Daily Electric Energy Used (45.8 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (21.6 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Cloudy but cooler out so the Geothermal HVAC was off. The new hydroponic gardens are using 8.7 kWh. Overall a net deficit of 24.2 kWh.
Monthly electric energy used (1457 kWh) and Solar electric energy produced (1261 kWh) for a net deficit of 196 kWh. This is the first month since March where I didn’t produce more via solar.
The three AeroGarden hydroponic Farms have been online for 10-11 days. Many of the plants have already sprouted. Depending on how big some of the plants get, I may have to trim some out. The LED lights for each tray raises to 36 inches as the plants grow. I also set up two AeroGarden Bounty systems to try to grow some wildflowers indoors. Here many of the seeds sprouted within five days.
AeroGarden Farm 1 Left. at 11 days. Red Heirloom and Golden Harvest Tomatoes. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)AeroGarden Farm 1 Right. at 11 days. Lettuce (Red Romaine, Deer Tongue, Marvel of 4 Seasons, Paris Island, Black-seeded Simpon, Red Sails), Basil, Chives, and Dill. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)AeroGarden Farm 2 Left. at 10 days. Peppers (Mini Jalapeno, Purple Super Hot, Red Fire), and Chives. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)AeroGarden Farm 2 Right. at 10 days. Lettuce, Romain, Arugula Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)AeroGarden Farm 3 Left. at 10 days. Broccoli, Swiss Chard, Basil, Dill, Parsley. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)AeroGarden Farm 3 Right. at 10 days. Cauliflower, Kale, Cilantro, Oregno, Rosemary, Thyme. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)AeroGarden Foyer Bounty Left at 5 days. 1) Cosmos Dwarf Sensation; 2) Cosmos Early Dwarf; 3) Zinnia Thumbelina; 4) Zinnia Lilliput Mix; 5) Marigold Sparky Mix; 6) Blanket Flower; 7) Sweet Alyssum; 8) Coreopsis Lance-leaf; 9) Coreopsis Plains. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)
[caption id="ps_captionIns" align="alignnone" width="600"]AeroGarden Foyer Bounty Right at 5 days. 1) Crimson Clover, ; 2) California Poppy; 3) Oriental Poppy; 4) Red Poppy Mix; 5) Red Poppy; 6) Blue Cornflower; 7) Purple Cornflower; 8) Lemon Mint; 9) Lupine. Image taken with a Leica TL-2 camera and 35 mm f/1.4 lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Daily Electric Energy Used (57.5 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (34.2 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Cloudy but warmer out so the Geothermal HVAC was on (10.0 kWh) part of the afternoon and evening. The new hydroponic gardens are using 8.7 kWh. Overall a net deficit of 23.3 kWh.
Weekly electric energy used (419 kWh) and Solar electric energy produced (288 kWh) for a net deficit of 131 kWh. Several cloudy days, Geothermal HVAC still on, server backups, and installation of new hydroponic systems went online.
My initial walkabout was with a Nikon D850 camera and 200-500 mm VR lens. I almost walked into a large spider web with a big spider. Probably some type of Orb-web Builder spider. As with yesterday, there were lots and lots of Monarch butterflies in my wildflower meadows. They were feeding on Cosmos, Zinnia, and Marigold flowers. I also captured images of two Common Buckeye butterflies. When going back in I found the Praying Mantis that I spotted in an image yesterday. Its belly was pretty full, so it has been successful capturing some meals recently. I can only wish it has been feeding on the Stink Bugs that have been trying to get into my house recently as the temperatures cool outside. I took some images with the Nikon D850 camera, then swapped to a Fuji X-H1 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens + 1.4x teleconverter.
Hairy Spider hainging out. Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 200-500 mm VR lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Click on the image above to access my PhotoShelter gallery with the individual images from the following slideshow.
Click on the image above to access my PhotoShelter gallery with the individual images from the following slideshow.
Click on the image above to access my PhotoShelter gallery with the individual images from the following slideshow.
Daily Electric Energy Used (56.5 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (37.3 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Cloudy most of the day (with the Sycamore tree blocking the solar panels in the afternoon). The Geothermal HVAC system used (10 kWh) and the new indoor hydroponic systems running (8.7 kWh). An overall net deficit of 19.2 kWh.
For the past week I haven’t been outside much while working on several indoor projects. Today I did my walkabout with a Nikon D5 camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens. In burst mode, this camera sounds like a machine gun — but is able to focus and track moving targets. Good thing today because it was a bit windy out. I noticed that the Burma Water Gourd vine had produced several gourds. It probably is too late for these to develop into the 1 meter long gourds I saw while in Burma, and that my mother was able to grow in Florida. I was also surprised to see that I still have Strawberry plants that are flowering and producing more Strawberries this late in the season. There were lots and lots of Monarch butterflies in my wildflower meadows. They were feeding on Mexican Sunflower, Zinnia, and Marigold flowers. I also caught two Common Buckeye butterflies. I was surprised to see a Hummingbird Clearwing moth feeding on Larkspur and Lemon Mint flowers. There are still a couple of Bullfrogs in the almost dry pond. One stayed still long enough to get an image. Later in the afternoon a Doe spent some time just outside the fenced in wildflower garden. The Air Dancer Scarecrows appear to be working. Finally, while reviewing the images I found one of a backlit Cosmos flower with a Praying Mantis lurking. I admit I didn’t notice the Praying Mantis when I took the image, even though I have been looking for them for several weeks.
Burma Water Gourd. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)Burma Water Gourd. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)Strawberry flowers (and green strawberry). Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter gallery with the individual images in the following slideshow.
Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter gallery with the individual images in the following slideshow.
Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter gallery with the individual images in the following slideshow.
Common Buckeye butterfly on a Cosmos flower. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)Common Buckeye butterfly on a Marigold flower. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter gallery with the individual images in the following slideshow.
Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter gallery with the individual images in the following slideshow.
Kermit the Bullfrog in the nearly empty pond. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter gallery with the individual images in the following slideshow.
Backlit Cosmos Flower (with a Praying Mantis). Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 80-400 mm VRII lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Daily Electric Energy Used (51.1 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (49.2 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Almost break-even with an overall net deficit of 1.9 kWh. Clear skies most of the day (with the Sycamore tree blocking the solar panels in the afternoon). The Geothermal HVAC system was only on for a short time (2.7 kWh) and the new indoor hydroponic systems running (8.7 kWh).
Daily walkabout with a Nikon One V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens. There were several Monarch butterflies in the wildflower meadow. They seem to like the Cosmos, Zinnia, and Marigold flowers. This may be the last brood that will be heading off to Mexico for the winter. For flowers there was a blue Asiatic Dayflower, Black-eyed Susan, and Purple Morning Glory. I’m not sure if the dayflower was in one of the wildflower seed mixes or is a local (invasive) weed. I also saw a bee that looked to be collecting mud at the edge of the mostly dry pond.
Click on the image above to access my PhotoShelter gallery with the individual images in the following slideshow.
Click on the image above to access my PhotoShelter gallery with the individual images in the following slideshow.
Bee collecting mud. Image taken with a Nikon One V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens. (DAVID J MATHRE)
Yesterday Electric Energy Used (62.4 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (34.8 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. As the sun gets lower, the leaves from one of my Sycamore trees block the solar panels part of the afternoon. You can see the hump in the graph. The Geothermal HVAC was off. The new hydroponic gardens are using 8.7 kWh. Overall a net deficit of 27.6 kWh.
Daily Electric Energy Used (62.1 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (49.1 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Warmer out so the Geothermal HVAC was back on for some of the afternoon and evening (3.3 kWh). The new hydroponic gardens are using 8.7 kWh. Overall a net deficit of 13.0 kWh.
