New Jersey - David Mathre Photography

Sunday (15-September-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Daily walkabout with a Fuji X-H1 camera, 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens, and 1.4x teleconverter or a Nikon N1V3 camera and 70-300 VR lens. It is late summer an a lot of the wildflowers are fading so I took a series of images of the wildflowers that remain. There is a red flower that I originally thought was an Indian Paintbrush. The deer and/or rabbits really like it since most of the flowers are consumed soon after blooming. The stem and leaves are also red, so I really don’t know its identity. The deer left the Marigold and Lemon Mint flowers that the Bumblebees like. One type of Bumblebee is nearly twice the size of the other ones. After going nearly a week without seeing any butterflies, I was pleased to see a Monarch, Tiger Swallowtail, Painted Lady, Skipper, and the new one for this year a Pipevine Swallowtail. The Goldfinch and other birds are busy feasting on the Sunflowers. Even though the pond in nearly empty, a few Bullfrogs remain.

Click on the above image to access my PhotoShelter gallery that contains the individual images in the following slideshow.

Goldfinch feeding on Sunflowers. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)

Kermit the Bullfrog. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)

Daily Electric Energy Used (50.4 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (57.2 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. More sun but warmer again. The Geothermal HVAC used 10.7 kWh. Overall a net surplus of 6.8 kWh.

Weekly Electric Energy Used (311 kWh) and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (277 kWh) for a net deficit of 34 kWh. Several cloudy days last week.

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Saturday (14-September-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

I harvested the carrots and scallions from the top level of GrowTower #1. I was surprised how big some of the carrots were as the seed packet said miniature carrots. I had also planted some garlic cloves that started to sprout in the kitchen. A few developed into heads of garlic. An opossum managed eat my remaining Tomatillos so I ended up buying a bunch from Clifford Family Farm at the Montgomery Farmers market. I use the Tomatillos along with the hot peppers from my GrowTowers to make Salsa Verde. With too many carrots, I may try incorporating carrots into the Salsa. So far the air dancer scarecrow seems to be keeping the deer out of the wildflower meadows. As soon as the deer hear or see the air dancer they start running.

Carrots, Scallions, Garlic, Hot Peppers from Grow Tower #1. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 23 mm f/2 lens (ISO 125, 23 mm, f/2, 1/50 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)

Tomatillos from the Farmers Market. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 23 mm f/2 lens (ISO 200, 23 mm, f/2.2, 1/50 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)

Fawn with spots eating grass. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 800, 94 mm, f/4.8, 1/100 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)

Fawn and Doe leaving after hearing the Air Dancer Scarecrow. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 800, 144 mm, f/5.3, 1/100 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)

Daily Electric Energy Used (41.8 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (24.4 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Clouds most of the day and starting to get warmer again. The Geothermal HVAC was only on for a short time. Overall a net deficit of 17.4 kWh.

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Friday (13-September-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

As the nights are getting cooler, it is getting near the end of the growing season for vegetables in my GrowTowers. Today I have taken pictures of all of the different types of peppers that I have grown this year. Some of the pepper leaves are turning yellow, so I probably should have added some fertilizer mid-summer. Other things that have done well in the GrowTowers are carrots and scallions (on the top), various lettuces, kale, and swiss chard. Early in the season I had some broccoli, and three cabbage. Later on the insects got the broccoli, and the cabbage got to be too big for the GrowTowers. I am still getting basil, but the dill were all eaten by Tiger Swallowtail caterpillars. I also planted three types of strawberries. Some of the plants are still producing fruit, and I have many strawberry runners that I need to cut and replant. I need to figure out how to protect the GrowTowers with the strawberry plants over the winter. I now have two air-puppet Scarecrows guarding the wildflower meadows. So far the deer are staying out (although they completely destroyed one rear sections with Sunflowers).

Individual images from all of the slideshows can be viewed in my PhotoShelter gallery here.

Late season strawberry. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens + 1.4x teleconverter. (DAVID J MATHRE)

Late season strawberry flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens + 1.4x teleconverter. (DAVID J MATHRE)

Doe and two fawns. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens + 1.4x teleconverter. (DAVID J MATHRE)

Daily Electric Energy Used (39.3 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (37.5 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Clouds most of the day and cooler, so no need for the Geothermal HVAC. Overall a net deficit of 1.8 kWh.

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Thursday (12-September-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

The air-dancer kept the deer out of my kitchen garden wildflower meadow. I did however have an opossum visit my patio and Garden Towers. Unlike the raccoons, I am a little more tolerant of the opossums because they supposedly eat any ticks that attach themselves to the opossum. It has been eating leaves off my hot pepper plants (leaving the peppers). It has been a couple of weeks since I last mowed the lawn. Time-lapse video using a Garmin VIRB-360 camera. Video created using Photoshop CC (including the Little Planet view).

Daily Electric Energy Used (51.9 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (28.6 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Clouds most of the day. Ran a batch of laundry (3.9 kWh) and had to run the Geothermal HVAC system on to cool the house (11.7 kWh). Overall a net deficit of 23.3 kWh.

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Wednesday (11-September-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

To keep the deer out of the wildflower garden next to the house, I have added a 10 foot tall Air Puppet. I have it set to run for 1 minute every 15 minutes all night. Unfortunately, I turned it off too early in the morning, and then didn’t turn it on again until too late in the afternoon. The two videos from my security cameras show the fawns feasting on the wildflowers inside the electric fence.

Daily Electric Energy Used (51.2 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (56.1 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Clouds in the morning but more sun in the afternoon. I had to turn the Geothermal HVAC system on to cool the house. Overall a net surplus of 4.9 kWh.