Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly - David Mathre Photography

Friday (26-July-2019) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Noontime Walkabout with a Nikon D5 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (using a monopod because of the weight). Birds, Bees, Butterflies (including a pair of Sulphurs mating). And of course Hummingbird Clearwing Moths. The final slideshow is of Hummingbird Clearwing Moths in flight. It is a target rich environment right now in my wildflower meadows.

Goldfinch looking for a Cornflower for lunch. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)

Pair of Bumblebees on a Sunflower. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)

Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on a Sunflower. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)

Monarch butterfly Zinnia flower. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE) — Monarch butterfly on an orange Zinnia flower. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)

Pair of Sulphur butterflies mating. Image taken with a Nikon D5 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)

Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) moth. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (51.4 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (80.7 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Daily surplus of 29.3 kWh.

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Thursday (25-July-2019) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

One of the wildflower meadows with lots of Zinnia flowers in bloom has attracted dozens and dozens of butterflies and clearwing moths. I set up a Garmin VIRB-360 camera for a time-lapse video of the wildflower meadow. [Note – the post will be updated later with the time-lapse video.] I also took a series of images with a Nikon 1 V3 camera with a 70-300 mm VR lens. Butterflies: Monarch, Tiger Swallowtail, and Common Buckeye. Moth: Clearwing Hummingbird (Hemaris thysbe). While walking back to the house I saw a Ruby-throated Hummingbird feeding on the taller Cosmos flowers. I was happy that I had this camera & lens since I was able to get a series of pictures from 10 meters away without scaring the hummingbird away.

Butterflies. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.

Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) moth. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (54.9 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (81.5 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. The amount of Electric Energy used was up a bit, mainly due to a load of laundry. It was a sunny day so the solar electricity production was up for a surplus of 26.6 kWh. Helps to make up for some of the previous very hot (increased usage) and rainy (decreased solar production) days.

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Wednesday (24-July-2019) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Late Afternoon Daily Walkabout. Nikon Df camera with a 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens. Butterflies (Spiceberry and Tiger Swallowtails, Monarch, Silver-spotted Skipper, Common Buckeye, and another variety of a Skipper); Birds (Goldfinch and unknown); Flowers (Coneflowers, Partridge Pea, Sunflower, Four O’Clock, and Burma Water Gourd Vine). The yellow Partridge Pea flowers and Four O’Clock flowers are new. The Burma water gourd flowers open at night, and probably need a moth to be pollinated. Last year they didn’t bloom until too late in the season, and I only got small (zucchini sized) gourds.

Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.

Daily Electric Energy Used (50.5 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (75.5 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. With lower temperatures the amount of Electric Energy used was down 1.5 kWh and with the sun out most of the day the solar electricity production was up 44.0 kWh from yesterday for a surplus of 25 kWh. Helps to make up for some of the previous very hot (increased usage) and rainy (decrease solar production) days.

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Wednesday (24-July-2019) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Morning Daily Walkabout. Nikon D850 camera with a 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens. Butterflies (Spiceberry and Tiger Swallowtails, Monarch, and Common Buckeye. Both Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) and Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris diffinis) moths. I also saw one of the bull frogs near the pond. If you look closely at the final image you can see a Mosquito above the frog’s eye.

Butterflies. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.

Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) moth. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.

Snowberry Clearwing (Hemaris diffinis) moths. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.

Kermit the Bull Frog. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.

Kermit the Frog with a Mosquito above its eye (cropped). Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 100-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (ISO 900, 500 mm, f/5.6. 1/1000 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)

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Sunday (21-July-2019) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Daily Walkabout. My back is feeling a lot better. The lower back/lumbar back-brace wrap seems to be working. It forces me to sit up straight and pushes the belly in. Bottom line, exercise and lose some weight… The high was 97 °F with a heat index of 117 °F according to my personal weather station. I went out for a bit around noon with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm lens. Each day there are more and more butterflies. They are mainly attracted to the pink and red Zinnia flowers. Today there were Spicebush and Tiger Swallowtails, Monarchs, and a small Duskywing (?). There also were several Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) moths.

Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) butterfly on a Zinnia flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (David J Mathre)

Tiger Swallowtail butterfly on a Zinnia flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (David J Mathre)

Monarch butterfly on a Zinnia flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (David J Mathre)

Horace's Duskywing (Erynnis horatius) ? butterfly on a Zinnia flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (David J Mathre) — Horace’s Duskywing (Erynnis horatius) ? butterfly on a Zinnia flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (David J Mathre)

Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) Moth. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.

Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) moth feeding on a pink Zinnia flower. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.

Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) moth in flight. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images in my gallery.

Daily Power Use (82.6 kWh) from Sense and Solar Production (70.2 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Sunny, hot, and humid outside which kept the WaterFurnace geothermal HVAC system busy (~40 kWh). The geothermal heat pump system was able to maintain the indoor temperature even on this hottest day of the year. Beginning a bit before noon the heat pump ran continuously, and for much of the afternoon into the evening in the 2nd stage (high-speed mode). There were clouds in the morning and later in the afternoon limiting the amount of solar power generated — so I used 12 kWh more than was generated.