Stink Bug - David Mathre Photography

Sunday (30-January-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day on a snowy day viewed at the birdfeeder and in the backyard: Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, White-throated Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Northern Cardinal. A whole flock (~100) of the Red-winged Blackbirds descended on the patio and birdfeeders.

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

Flock of Red-winged Blackbirds. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

AeroGarden Hydroponic Updates. The Bok Choi in AeroGarden Bounty-01 continues to be the fastest grower (although one plant seems to be a runt). In Bounty-02 the Rouge d’Hiver and Black-seeded Simpson lettuce are growing well, along with the Genovese Basil and Dill. One Thai Basil is growing, the other one remains small. In Bounty-0 the two transplanted 14-day Genovese Basil and Dill are doing well. The other 6-day herbs have not sprouted yet. Bounty-04 with the seed sprouting tray at day 6 has some seeds sprouting: Swiss Chard (0/5); Kale (5/5); Collard Greens (5/5); Spinach (0/5); Mustard Greens (4/5); Oregano (1/5); Rosemary (0/5); Tarragon (2/5); Thyme (5/5); Sage (3/5). About half of the poppy seedling in Farm-09R were moved to Farm-08L, Farm-08R, and Farm-09L.

Bounty-01, Bounty-02, Bounty Elite-03, Bounty Elite-04. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Farm-08L, Farm-08R, Farm-09L, Farm-09R. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Found another Stink Bug nibbling on the Bok Choi seedlings. Also, a Lady Beetle. I’m not sure if the Lady Beetle was also nibbling on the leaf, or looking for Aphids.

Stink Bug. (David J Mathre) — Caught another Stink Bug feeding on a Bok Choi seedling. Image taken with a Leica TL2 camera and 18 mm f/2.8 lens. (David J Mathre)

Lady Beetle on a Bok Choi leaf. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (127.2 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (0.0 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. The solar panels still covered with snow. The supplemental resistance heating kicked on at night as the outdoor temperature dropped below 10°F. Deficit of 127.2 kWh.

Weekly Electric Energy Used (770 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (143 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Deficit of 627 kWh.

Sunday (23-January-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Colorful Clouds at Dawn. The clouds went from pink to orange in just a few minutes as the sun was about to rise. Composite of several images using the Panorama tool within Capture One Pro.

alt_title. (David J Mathre) — Colorful Clouds at Dawn. Composite of nine images taken with a Leica CL camera and 23 mm f/2 lens. Raw images processed and panorama generated with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)

Birds of the day viewed at the birdfeeder and in the backyard: Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal.

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

AeroGarden Hydroponic Updates. Classic 6 #1 Day 7: All 6/6 of the Basil have sprouted. Bounty #1 Day 7: All 9/9 of the Bok Choi have sprouted. Bounty #2 Day 6: 2/2 of the Rouge d’Hiver and 2/2 of the Black Seed Simpson have sprouted. The other lettuce varieties have not sprouted. Classic 6 #2 Day 6: In addition to the Celosia flower, a Dill plant has sprouted. Farm 9R Seed Starting Tray, Day 5: Many more of the poppy seeds have started to germinate.

When I checked the hydroponic gardens this morning, I noticed a Stink Bug nibbling on one of the Bok Choi seedlings.

Stink Bug nibbling on a Bok Choi seedling. Images taken with a Leica SL2s camera and Laowa 24 mm f/14 macro probe lens. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (100.3 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (34.5 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Cold outside. Whenever the external temperature drops below 10°F, the resistance heaters kick in to assist the Geothermal HVAC heating the house. Deficit of 65.8 kWh.

Weekly Electric Energy Used (712 kWh) from Sense. Weekly Solar Electric Energy Produced (174 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Deficit of 538 kWh.

Saturday (22-January-2022) — New Jersey

Wintertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed at the birdfeeder and in the backyard: Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Tufted Titmouse, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal.

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

AeroGarden Hydroponic Updates. Classic 6 #1 Day 6: All 6/6 of the Basil have sprouted. Bounty #1 Day 6: All 9/9 of the Bok Choi have sprouted. Bounty #2 Day 6: 2/2 of the Rouge d’Hiver and 2/2 of the Black Seed Simpson have sprouted. The other lettuce varieties have not sprouted. Classic 6 #2 Day 6: Only the Celosia flower has sprouted. Farm 9R Seed Starting Tray, Day 5: A few more of the poppy seeds have started to germinate. Some fungus is growing on the sponges.

Daily Electric Energy Used (120.2 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (38.7 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Very cold out, supplemental resistance heating required to keep the house warm. Also running six humidifers and five AeroGarden hydroponic gardens. Deficit of 81.5 kWh.

Wednesday (19-January-2020) — New Jersey

Wintertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed at the birdfeeder and in the backyard: Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, House Finch, Dark-eyed Junco.

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

Time-lapse videos: Day 3 of the Bok Choi seeds sprouting. Both videos are of images taken every 1 minute for 5 hours 45 minutes then displayed at 12 frames/second. I cut some of the paper retaining ring to get better visibility of the seedlings growing. During the second video, an invasive Asian Ladybeetle (Harmonia axyridis) and an invasive Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys) were caught crawling by the Bok Choi seedling.

Ladybeetle. (David J Mathre) — Invasive Asian Ladybeetle (Harmonia axyridis) investigating the Bok Choi seedlings. Image taken with a Leica SL2s camera and Laowa 24 mm f/14 macro probe lens. (David J Mathre)

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug. (David J Mathre) — Invasive Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys) investigating the Bok Choi seedlings. Image taken with a Leica SL2s camera and Laowa 24 mm f/14 macro probe lens. (David J Mathre)

Daily Electric Energy Used (92.0 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (34.5 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. The sun returned after a day of rain then snow. Deficit of 57.5 kWh.

Sunday (03-October-2021) — New Jersey

Early Autumn Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed at the birdfeeder and in the backyard: Black-capped Chickadee, House Finch.

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

Insects of the day: Bumblebee, Stink Bug. It is starting to get cool at night and the Stink Bugs are trying to get into the house.

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

Daily Electric Energy Used (45.9 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (41.4 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Sun and clouds. Deficit of 4.5 kWh.

Weekly Electric Energy Used (265 kWh) from Sense. Weekly Solar Electric Energy Produced (269 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Surplus of 4 kWh.