Cloudy, cool, and practically no wind. Hurricane Dorian passed well to the east of the state. During my daily walkabout, I didn’t see any butterflies or moths. There were a few bees and bumblebees out. There were a large number of Goldfinches feeding on the smaller Sunflowers. A number of the birds must have just fledged, and their parents were feeding them cracked sunflower seeds. Apparently the young birds haven’t figured out how the crack the seeds yet. The images today are of various wildflowers. Some I am able to identify, and some I need to identify.
Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slide show.
Daily Electric Energy Used (36.9 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (14.9 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Very cloudy, and cooler for a net deficit of 22 kWh.
Daily Walkabout, today with a Leica CL camera and 55-135 mm lens. The thing I like about this camera is that it is lightweight and potentially a great travel camera. Most of the images were taken at 135 mm (field of view equivalent to 200 mm on a 35 mm sensor camera). It doesn’t have all of the bells and whistles of some of my other cameras. I do need to take it out periodically just to maintain the brain and muscle memory to use it effectively. This is the longest zoom lens for the Leica TL and CL cameras. The Goldfinches are all over the smaller Sunflowers. They want the seeds fresh. A lot of butterflies were out working the wildflowers (Painted Lady, Sulphur, a pair of frisky Spicebush Swallowtails, and a pair of Monarch’s mating). The Monarch’s were flying around paired together and I finally caught them resting in a pine tree from a distance. I haven’t seen a hummingbird moth recently. Then some flowers (Backlit Red Sunflower, Bee Balm, a Red flower I haven’t identified yet, Partridge Pea with Pea Pods, a Zinnia, and a pair of small Yellow Sunflowers. Finally, the poisonous Poke Weed berries.
Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slide show.
Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slide show.
Sulphur Butterfly on a Zinnia Flower. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 55-135 mm lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slide show.
Pair of Monarch Butterflies Mating. Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 55-135 mm lens (DAVID J MATHRE)Monarch Butterfly. Image. taken with a Leica CL camera and 55-135 mm lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slide show.
Poison Poke Weed Berries Image taken with a Leica CL camera and 55-135 mm lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Daily Electric Energy Used (61.1 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (51.2 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. More clouds and bit less Sun. The WaterFurnace geothermal HVAC had to work harder (25.7 kWh) because the temperature outside went above 90°F. Daily net deficit 9.9 kWh. Weekly totals 412 kWh used, 350 kWh produced. So far still ahead for the month of August, but will need some more sunny days
One note — the WaterFurnace Symphony software indicated the system used 14 kWh, however the Sense Energy monitor indicated that the geothermal heat pump used 25.7 kWh. I tend to believe the Sense numbers since they more closely the energy being recorded at the external power company (PSE&G) meters. I’ve asked the WaterFurnace folks in the past about the discrepancy, but they didn’t have a good answer. The Sense folks told me they thought that the WaterFurnace/Symphony system was only measuring one phase of the energy even though the system is powered by the 220V circut (using two phases). I wish an electrical engineer that understands this better would correct me here.
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.
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.
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)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)
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.
