Janice E. Kirk

Artist & Author

Nature Notes. Marmot Springs. Part 2. The Gift of Pure Water

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    In my previous Blog, I tell how my family and I found the perfect place to camp in the Warner Mountains of California. It was an old-time site ready and waiting for us. We settled in and felt right at home for ten days. We hiked up each side of the canyon, looked […]

Nature Notes. Marmot Springs. Part 1. Camping in Eden

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  One springtime we wandered into the Warner Mountains of NE California. Looking for a campsite we parked the truck near a marshy pond just off the main road. We walked the dirt track that followed a small branch of East Creek. Beaver-chewed aspen marked the waterway; early wildflowers nodded; aspen whispered as we passed. […]

Nature Notes. The Mouse that Howled. Part 2. Waiting for a Spooky Howl.

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View from Lava Beds CA Juniper Sagebrush Country From the files of Donald R. Kirk: Part 2. In my previous Blog I introduced the grasshopper mouse who climbed on my shoe while I was seated at a campfire in a Warner Mountains juniper–sagebrush life community. The grasshopper mouse is very different from an ordinary mouse. […]

Nature Notes. The Mouse That Howled. Part 1. A Mouse at the Campfire.

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View from Lava Beds CA Juniper Sagebrush Country From the files of Donald R. Kirk: Part 1. A Mouse at the Campfire No moon tonight. Camped near a creek in an open juniper forest, our fire is a low glow of deep red embers. An infinity of stars sparkles the night sky. The four of […]

Nature Notes. Homestead Flat. Part 2. Mayfly Lore

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From the files of Donald R. Kirk: Part 2. Mayfly Lore In my previous blog I introduce the topic of trout fishing with mayflies. What’s the difference between a larva and a nymph? The immature stage of those insects whose wings develop on the outside of the body is called a nymph. If the wings […]

Nature Notes. Warner Mountains CA. Homestead Flat. Part 1. Fishing on East Creek

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From the files of Donald R. Kirk: As I peered over the bank a good trout backed like a phantom into obscurity.      Romilly Fedden. Golden Days (1919)** Part 1. Fishing on East Creek As I peer over the bank of upper East Creek in the Warner Mountains of California a couple of good–sized […]

Nature Notes. A Rare Tree. Part 3. An Uncommon Pine Tree

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  Photo: Lightning Scar on Ponderosa Pine Tree From the files of Donald R. Kirk:  Part 3. An Uncommon Pine Tree In my earlier Blog we find a lightning scarred tree. When I examine the cones, I find it is neither a ponderosa cone, nor a Jeffrey. Suddenly I recognize this tree. I can’t believe […]

Nature Notes. A Rare Tree. Part 2. Lightning Scars

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Photo: Lightning Scar on Ponderosa Pine Tree From the files of Donald R. Kirk:  Part 2. Lightning Scars In my previous blog I told of a horrendous storm in the night while camped in the Warner Mountains. Next morning we find a tree with a fresh lightning scar that runs from crown to ground. This […]

Nature Notes. A Rare Tree. Part 1. Storm in the Night

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  Photo: Lightning Scar on Ponderosa Pine Tree From the files of Donald R. Kirk… A Rare Tree Part 1. Storm in the Night An explosive blast of thunder jolts me awake. My wife sits up in bed. I can hear our two kids exclaiming in the tent pitched close beside our small travel trailer. […]

Cherish the Earth. Hurray for Green Plants!

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Green growing plants keep us alive. They are our neighbors, our plant communities. Do you know them? The trees, shrubs, grasses, wildflowers, and ground dwellers that form the community of life around you? Can you call your plant neighbors by name? Years ago we camped at Great Basin N.P. The first morning went like this: […]

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