Tag: Sweet William

Wednesday (02-June-2021) — New Jersey

Springtime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Lot of images today. Birds, Frogs, Snakes, Insects, and Flowers. The Brood X Cicadas are everywhere and continue singing their love song.

Birds viewed in the backyard and near the patio birdfeeder: American Robin, House Finch. The American Robin was feeding on a Cicada.


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

Kermit the Bullfrog and all of his relatives in the pond are getting fat fast this spring. Presumably out feeding on the Cicadas.


Bullfrogs in the pond. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

While working on the back wildflower meadow, I turned over some cardboard and found this Garter Snake.


Garter Snake. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Insects/bugs observed during the day include Cicada (Brood X), Dragonfly, Damselfly, Grasshopper, Cabbage White Butterfly, Water-walker, and tick(?).


Insects and other bugs. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Spring flowers blooming: Love-in-a-Mist, Red Poppy, California Poppy, Sweet Alyssum, Rhododendron, Baby Blue Eyes, Sweet William, Daisy, Blue-eyed Grass, Beardtongue Foxglove, Siberian Wallflower, Evening Primrose, Clematis, Honeysuckle, and Poison Ivy. The Poison Ivy flowers were on a giant 3 inch diameter vine climbing on a dead tree.


Love-in-a-Mist. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


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


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


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


Poison Ivy Vine and Flowers. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (51.7 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (56.2 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Sun and clouds. A surplus of 4.5 kWh.

Sunday (30-May-2021) — New Jersey

Springtime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Visitors backyard and the patio birdfeeder: Black Vulture, House Finch. Not many birds visiting during the emergence of the Cicadas.


Daily backyard visitors. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Spring flowers blooming: Red Poppy, Love-in-a-Mist, Crimson Clover, Daisy, Lacy Phacelia, Beardtongue Foxglove, Siberian Wallflower, Sweet William.


Love in a Mist. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


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


Spring Flowers: Crimson Clover, Daisy, Lacy Phacelia, Beardtongue Foxglove, Siberian Wallflower, Sweet William. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (45.0 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (16.3 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Cloudy and rain. A deficit of 28.3 kWh.

Weekly Electric Energy Used (354 kWh) from Sense. Weekly Solar Electric Energy Produced (326 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. A deficit of 28 kWh.

Friday (28-May-2021) — New Jersey

Springtime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Visitors backyard and the patio birdfeeder: Mourning Dove, Black-capped Chickadee, House Finch. Not many birds visiting during the emergence of the Cicadas.


Daily backyard visitors. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Even with the rain yesterday (0.25″) the water level in the back pond is still low, but still enough to support Kermit the Bull Frog and his many brothers, sisters, and closes cousins. I counted at least twelve today.


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

Spring flowers blooming: Sweet William (Dianthus).


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

New Cicadas are still emerging from the ground. When the sun is out the volume goes way up.


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

Daily Electric Energy Used (43.8 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (39.0kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Cloudy and rain. A deficit of 4.8 kWh.

Friday (14-August-2020) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Afternoon walkabout with a Leica SL2 camera and 90-280 mm lens. I am getting to like this camera. It is a bit heavy, but feels robust. The focus is fast, and does a good job tracking moving subjects. All of these images are hand-held using the in-camera sensor based image stabilization.

I didn’t plant wildflower seeds in the back wildflower meadows this spring. Only a few Sunflowers, Zinnia, Plains Coreopsis, and Sweet William flowers returned (self-seeded from last year). I am still getting Strawberries in the Grow Towers. A few Monarch and Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies are feeding on the remaining Thistle flowers. I also observed a Monarch butterfly laying eggs on a Milkweed plant. Kermit the Bullfrog was sunning itself on a log in the pond. I am still waiting on the township to remove the fallen oak tree.


Backyard Wildflowers. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Strawberry. Image taken with a Leica SL2 camera and 90-280 mm lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Strawberry. Image taken with a Leica SL2 camera and 90-280 mm lens (DAVID J MATHRE)


Backyard Butterflies. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Kermit the Bullfrog on a Log. Image taken with a Leica SL2 camera and 90-280 mm lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Kermit the Bullfrog on a Log. Image taken with a Leica SL2 camera and 90-280 mm lens (DAVID J MATHRE)


Northern Cardinal, Brown Thrasher, and American Goldfinch. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Downed Oak Tree post Tropical Storm Isaias. Image taken with a Leica SL2 camera and 90-280 mm lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Downed Oak Tree post Tropical Storm Isaias. Image taken with a Leica SL2 camera and 90-280 mm lens (DAVID J MATHRE)

Daily Electric Energy Used (60.4 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (56.7 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Clouds and rain. A deficit of 4.72 kWh.

Tuesday (07-July-2020) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the Day: Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, Red-bellied Woodpecker, House Finch, Tufted Titmouse, and Chipping Sparrow.


Backyard Summer Birds of the Day. Individual images in the slideshow can be viewed at my PhotoShelter Gallery.

The pond is nearly dry, but still has a number of frogs.


Kermit the Bullfrog and his relatives. Individual images in the slideshow can be viewed at my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Summer Wildflowers of the Day: Sunflower, Black-eyed Susan, Four O’Clock, Red Poppy, Lemon-Mint, Horsemint, Bee Balm, Daisy, Sweet William, Thistle, and Teazel. The Bees really like the Bergamont (Bee Balm, Lemon Mint, Horsemint, Monarda). I like it because the deer don’t like it.


Summer Wildflowers. Individual images in the slideshow can be viewed at my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Summer Wildflowers. Individual images in the slideshow can be viewed at my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (66.6 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (53.7 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. Lots of Clouds. A deficit of 12.7 kWh.


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