Tag: Yellowjacket

Saturday (10-September-2022) — New Jersey

Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in my backyard: Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, House Finch.


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


Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Ruby-throated Hummingbird at a hummingbird feeder. Individual images in the slideshow are available in my PhotoShelter Gallery.

The number of Yellowjacket wasps around the house has been increasing. They seem to be getting food out of the hummingbird feeder. They also have been feeding on suet blocks (which I have now removed). I have been finding dead ones on the floor in the basement, so was worried they had found a way into the basement but not a way out. Today, I found the basement window where they were getting in. Upon further investigation, I found they had built a nest in the ceiling of the basement near where they were getting into the house. I’ve created a time-lapse video of the nest using a Leica SL2s camera with a Laowa 24 mm f/14 macro probe lens. The macro probe lens allowed me to get closer to the nest without getting stung. From outside, I noticed that the wasps were returning to the nest with body parts of other bees. Have they attacked a Honey Bee hive?? Now I need to figure out how to deal with and remove the wasp nest.

Daily Electric Energy Used (50.9 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (52.9 kWh) from Sense. Sunny. Surplus of 2.0 kWh.

powered by Ambient Weather

Thursday (08-September-2022) — New Jersey

Summertime Nature in New Jersey.

Birds of the day viewed in my backyard: Mourning Dove, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Turkey Vulture, Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, European Starling, House Finch, Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, Northern Cardinal.


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

A batch of Yellowjacket wasps have taken over the Hummingbird feeder.

Yellowjacket. (David J Mathre)
Yellow Jackets at the Hummingbird Feeder. Image taken with a Leica SL2 camera and 90-280 mm lens. (David J Mathre)

Daily Electric Energy Used (63.6 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (44.0 kWh) from Sense. Sun and clouds. Deficit of 19.6 kWh.

powered by Ambient Weather

Thursday (16-July-2020) — New Jersey

Summertime Backyard Nature in New Jersey.

Anti-Gardener — This squirrel is eating a Daffodil bulb in the cloth pots. Probably thinks it is one of the black walnuts it hid last fall.

Squirrel eating Daffodil bulb. Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)
Squirrel eating Daffodil bulb. Image taken with a Nikon D850 camera and 200-500 mm f/5.6 VR lens (DAVID J MATHRE)

Birds of the Day: Black-capped Chickadee, Gray Catbird, Northern Cardinal, Brown-headed Cowbird, and House Finch.


Birds of the Day. Individual images from this slide show can be viewed at my PhotoShelter Gallery.

Butterflies of the Day: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.


Butterflies of the Day. Individual images from this slide show can be viewed at my PhotoShelter Gallery.

There definitely are two types of Clearwing moths were present. They prefer pink to purple flowers (Bee-Balm, Lemon-Mint, Bergamot, Larkspur, Delphinium). The Clearwing Hummingbird moth (Hemaris thysbe) is larger, and has light-colored front legs. The Clearwing Snowberry moth (Hemaris diffinis) is smaller, and has dark/black colored front legs. I am trying different camera lens combinations to see which is the best to capture images of these moths.


Clearwing Hummingbird Moths (Hemaris thysbe) captured with a Nikon Df camera and 300 mm f/4 VR lens. Individual images from this slide show can be viewed at my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Clearwing Snowberry Moths (Hemaris diffinis) captured with a Nikon Df camera and 300 mm f/4 VR lens. Individual images from this slide show can be viewed at my PhotoShelter Gallery.

I noticed Yellowjacket Wasps hunting both Butterflies and Clearwing Moths. Possibly to lay eggs in the victims.


Yellowjacket Wasp attacking an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly captured with a Nikon Df camera and 300 mm f/4 VR lens. Individual images from this slide show can be viewed at my PhotoShelter Gallery.


Yellowjacket Wasp attacking a Clearwing Snowberry Moths (Hemaris diffinis)captured with a Nikon Df camera and 300 mm f/4 VR lens. Individual images from this slide show can be viewed at my PhotoShelter Gallery.

NOTE: IF YOU ARE HAVING PROBLEMS VIEWING THE SLIDE SHOWS PLEASE TRY A DIFFERENT BROWSER AND LET ME KNOW WHICH BROWSER YOU ARE USING. THANKS!!!

Daily Electric Energy Used (47.5 kWh) from Sense. Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (55.2 kWh) from Sense and SolSystems. More clouds. A surplus of 7.7 kWh.