Tag: wildflowers

Nine-Years Ago (14-August-2010) — Iowa

Gone to See America August 2010 Road Trip. Day 14: Waterloo, Iowa to Columbus, Ohio.

Nine-years ago, I was returning from a cross country road trip. I stopped a a rest area along the interstate highway an saw where they planted a Prairie Wildflowers display. It had attracted a number of different butterflies. Images taken with a Nikon D3s camera and 24 mm f/1.4 lens or a Nikon D3x camera and 80-400 mm VR lens. At that point I said:

This is what I want my backyard to look like…

I’ve been trying for several years — fighting the deer, mile-a-minute vine, too much rain, too little rain. This year I am getting pretty close to having my own Wildflower Meadow. Images below are what I saw in Iowa back then. If you have been following my Photoblog recently you have seen the Butterflies, Hummingbird Moths, and Wildflowers in my Backyard this spring and summer.


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


Tuesday (06-August-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Daily Walkabout: I went out with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens with a 1.4x teleconverter. Butterflies (Silver-spotted Skipper, Tiger Swallowtail, Peck’s Skipper (?), and Monarch), Flowers (Zinna, Sunflower, Blanket Flower, Bee Balm, Lark Spur, Cone Flower, Thistle, Partridge Pea, Coreopsis, and Poppy). One of the Sunflowers had all of its seeds removed by the Goldfinch. One of the Thistles had gone to seed. This is probably the last Poppy of the season. Then for something different, one of my security cameras caught a bat in mid-flight.


Butterflies: Click the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.



Zinnia Flowers: Click the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.



Sunflowers: Click the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.



Various Wildflowers: Click the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.


Daily Electric Energy Used (53.1 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (46.8 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Lots of clouds during the day. Daily net deficit 6.3 kWh.


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Tuesday (30-July-2019) — New Jersey

Backyard Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

It’s hot outside so only a short walkabout with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens. Lots of flowers. The sunflowers look amazing. Butterflies including Monarch, Tiger Swallowtail, Silver-spotted Skipper, Common Buckeye, Painted Lady, and Peck’s Skipper (?). Only one Snowberry Clearwing Moth.

Purple Thistle Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (David J Mathre)
Purple Thistle Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (David J Mathre)
Red Coreopsis. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (David J Mathre)
Red Coreopsis. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (David J Mathre)


Sunflowers. Click on the above image to access the individual slideshow images.



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


Snowberry Clearwing Moth in Flight above a Zinnia Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (David J Mathre)
Snowberry Clearwing Moth in Flight above a Zinnia Flower. Image taken with a Fuji X-T2 camera and 100-400 mm OIS lens (David J Mathre)

Daily Electric Energy Used (68.8 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (73.1 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. The temperatures have been going up outside, resulting in more energy (~29 kWh) needed for the Geothermal HVAC system to keep the house cool. Also, ran a load of laundry (3.3 kWh). Still a small daily surplus of 4.3 kWh.

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Thursday (11-July-2019) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Walkabout around the house to view the flowers and wildflower gardens. A Monarch butterfly, Bumblebees, and a Firefly in a Poppy Flower. Kermit the bullfrog in the pond and hiding in the grass, and an immature American Goldfinch eating the Bachelor Button (Cornflowers). The bird is blind in one eye. Then a variety of flowers.

Troll in the Garden. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Troll in the Garden. Image taken with a Fuji X-H1 camera and 80 mm f/2.8 macro lens (DAVID J MATHRE)


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



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



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



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



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



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


Daily Power Use (48.4 kWh) from Sense and Solar Production (35.0 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Lots of clouds today, especially in the afternoon so I used more power than was generated.

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Thursday (04-July-2019) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

For the Fourth of July, I did my walkabout with a Nikon D850 camera and a different macro lens. This time an older Nikon 105 mm f/2.8 VR lens (some of the time with a TC-E III 2x teleconverter). During the night a racoon knocked down a sunflower plant while trying to climb up the birdfeeder. I was specifically looking for insects that are attracted to the flowers and wildflowers. The larger bumblebees like the Cosmos flowers. The Poppies attract honey bees and hoverflies. The hoverflies also like the Chicory. Lots of Poppy images. The other flowers and wildflowers include: Red allium, Black-eyed Susan, Blue Flax, Chicory, Coreopsis, Cornflower, Cosmos, Godetia, Larkspur, Leopard’s bane, Love-in-a-mist, Phlox, Siberian Wallflower, Sunflower, and Zinnia. While out stalking the flowers and insects, I also got images of a young fawn just outside the electric fence and a neighborhood cat.


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



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



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



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


Neighborhood Cat -- was hunting songbirds under the birdfeeder until I came out with the camera. Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Neighborhood Cat — was hunting songbirds under the birdfeeder until I came out with the camera. Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (DAVID J MATHRE)

Daily Power Use (56.5 kWh) from Sense and Solar Production (81.8 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. The sun was out most of the day, so I generated more power than the geothermal HVAC system needed to keep the house cool.

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