Monarch Butterfly on Oxeye Sunflower

A monarch butterfly with open wings feeding on a yellow oxeye sunflower (false sunflower) in the New Jersey Meadowlands.

Tangerine Sundown Skies N.J>

A vertical format scene of Great Egg Harbor Bay in Ocean City NJ at sundown. Vivid, colorful, gold and orange hues fill the sky, with the sun reflected in the water, with wetlands treetops in the foreground and a silhouetted gull flying by.

Bayside Fishing Pier at Sundown

Great Egg Harbor Bay and fishing pier at sundown with the beautiful yellow, gold,, orange and blue hues streaked acorss the sky and reflected in the water.

Manhattan Hudson Yards Sundown Blues and Golds

A close up view, as seen from New Jersey, of the west side skyscrapers of the NYC Hudson Yards neighborhood and beyond . Topped by a blue sky with a hint of low clouds, the skyscrapers are glowing with blue, gold, yellow, green and aqua olors reflected from the sky and setting sun to the west. .

Sunflowers and Cornfield.

Thanks for the comments on the sunflower back of the field photos. It was great to see a conversation going on about sunflowers and their turning behavior. So - I'm posting a another sunflower shot today, this one from the back of the field where I could see a few with faces. Also some information.: While sunflower plants are growing and developing, the stems are flexible and the tops of the plants do twist to follow the sun throughout the day. This allows the flower heads to absorb the maximum light and energy that they need to develop into full blown flowers. As the bud and flower head development progresses, the plant stems become harder and less able to turn. By the time the flower petals are opened out and mature, the stems can no longer turn. By this time, the flowers have adapted to the increasing lack of movement and oriented themselves to a permanent East-facing position. Studies have shown that the warmth from the sun in addition to the early morning sunlight reaching the flower heads draws bees to the flowers at the peak time of day when they are most active in pollination. That prime active pollination period is advantageous for the bees and also boosts the flower strength maturation and seed development.

Sunflower Field Rear View

As several people commented yesterday, the sunflowers in this field were facing away with only the backs showing. For some reason, the owners created the short pathways for visitors in a configuration that only showed the field from this perspective. There was no way to get a view of the full field of flowers with the faces showing. A vertical format view of a Sussex County New Jersey sunflower field looking eastward and showing the backs of the blooming flowers.

Past Prime Sunflower Field

Sunflower fields in New Jersey are just now beginning to bloom. A trip to one of my favorites proved quite disappointing yesterday. After a long drive I arrived to find that, even though the fields had just recently opened to the public, the flowers were sparse, wilted and drooping in the heat. Didn't even bother to take more than a few photos.

Snowy Egret in NJ Meadowlands

A view of a lone Snowy Egret on a tree trunk overlooking the waters of Mill Creek Marsh in the New Jersey Meadowlands.

NYC Henri Moonrise

After a night and then long day of very heavy rain yesterday , the skies cleared after dark and a beautiful moonrise was visible over the city. even through rain storms continued around the city. The respite from the wet weather did not last long, It's been raining heavily again through the night and this morning.

Waiting for Henri to Arrive

Dark clouds moving in over the NYC area at sundown Saturday evening as the first band of the storm Henri arrives. A few minutes after this shot, a heavy lightning storm announced his arrival. So far all is well here but the worst part of the storm is not due until this afternoon. On the NJ side in the foreground traffic is just about at a standstill with the helix jammed up with cars waiting to get into the Lincoln Tunnel.

Snowy Egret on Tree Stump

A vertical format image of a Snowy Egret with its large yellow feet splayed out on a marshland tree trunk in the waters of Mill Creek Marsh in the NJ Meadowlands..

A Golden New Day NYC

A view of the Hudson River at sunrise with the edge of the New Jersey waterfront in the foreground,, the Hudson River and the west side New York City upper midtown skyline as the sun rises bringing with it a gorgeous yellow-gold sky that is reflected in the river water.

Monarch Butterfly and Orange butterfly Weed

On two different days last week, the orange Butterfly Weed was the 'go to' plant for finding Monarchs. A close up view of a Monarch butterfly that is enjoying the nectar of a colorful orange Butterfly Weed flower. Many butterflies, but particularly monarchs, are attracted to these colorful flowers as a source of food.

Perfect Together - Monarch and Butterfly Weed Flower

A close up view of a beautiful Monarch butterfly as it enjoys the nectar of a colorful orange butterfly weed flower. Photographed in the New Jersey Meadowlands. This perennial plant is an important nectar source and a host plant where butterflies lay eggs.

On the Boardwalk - Atlantic City NJ

Bikers and pedestrians enjoying a visit to the boardwalk at Atlantic city N.J. on a warm summer afternoon. the boardwalk runs parallel , and provides access, to the beach This and the beach scene were photographed two weeks ago. As you can see, most people are without masks.

Beach and Umbrellas Atlantic City NJ

A view of dune grasses, beach, Atlantic Ocean and blue sky with colorful beach umbrellas in blues and oranges. While visiting my daughter, we drove to the Atlantic City boardwalk and beach just to have a quick walk and check it out.

Preening Juvenilte Black-crowned Night Heron

Was very happy to get a brief visit again to the heron rookery in South Jersey. Hoped to see young herons of several varieties but mostly there were the Great Egrets and a few Black-crowned Night Herons. The others must have fledged and were off feeding. This juvenile Black-crowned night heron ventured out a short distance from the nest and perched in the light to preen.

Gret Egreat Squabble

Juvenile Great Egrets squabbling with each other on their nest which is hidden in the shrubbery. I suspect that the way the young ones are growing so quickly that they are competing for dominance and for the food brought to the nest. .

Great Egret Family Fracas

A bit of a disturbance in a Great Egret nest in Atlantic County NJ. After a lot of noise, tussles and fuss, it seemed to be resolved.

Great Egret Full House

How many Great Egrets do you see in this nest? Definitely a full house and it seems a reason for lots of squabbles among the young ones as they compete for space and food brought by the parents. The young egrets are old enough now to explore a bit outside of the nest and to practice flying but they are still dependent on food being brought to them. It will be at least two or three more weeks before they fledge and begin to learn to find food on their own.

Ferris Wheel Light Show 6_Patriotic Colors

A close up view of the colored lights that illuminate the ferris wheel at the Wonderland Pier in Ocean City N.J. during the light show on the wheel after dark. Here the wheels are lit in patriotic USA colors of red, white and blue.

Ferris Wheel Light Show 2-Ocean City NJ

A close up view of the colored lights that illuminate the ferris wheel at the Wonderland Pier in Ocean City N.J. during the light show on the wheel after dark. Here the predominant colors are yellow, gold and orange. The two and a half mile boardwalk offers many opportunities for food and amusements. This ferris wheel is part of the Wonderland Pier complex, one of two areas with amusement rides.

Ocean City NJ Boardwalk Playland Night View

A night view of a section of the Ocean City NJ Boardwalk at the entrance to the Castaway Cove Playland amusement area.

Absecon Lighthouse Atlantic City NJ

Yesterday was National Lighthouse Day. Absecon Lighthouse, located in Atlantic City, is the tallest of New Jersey's 19 lighthouses at 171 feet tall. It is the second tallest masonry lighthouse in the United Stated. Construction began in 1854 and was completed in 1857. The lighthouse was deactivated in 1933 as a navigation aid, but the fixed (non-blinking) light atop continues to be turned on each evening. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Historic American Buildings Survey, and the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. The 1925 Keeper's House has been replicated and houses a history museum. The top of the lighthouse is open to visiors who are willing and able to climb the 228 steps. Absecon Lighthouse, Historic Absecon Light, NJ Lighthouses, Atlantic City Lighthouse, Tallest NJ Lighthouse, Historic Places NJ,