From the files of Donald R. Kirk: 

Part 1. Morning Walk
The sun has been up for only a few hours and already cream puff clouds are reflected in the serene surface of Blue Lake. Although it’s early in the summer season, the slowly-growing cumulus clouds show that there might be a thunderstorm in the afternoon.

I am on the east shore, sitting on the end of a large white fir that has snapped off from the nearby stump during some prior storm. The rest of the log is in the water. The tree probably died before it fell, since there are no branches remaining on the trunk.

I love this tranquil, natural lake in the Warner Mountains of northern California. At first glance, the shoreline appears circular, but a hike up the steep, volcanic ridge on the west shore reveals that it is actually rectangular with rounded corners. Blue Lake covers about 160 acres and is fed by perennial springs. Tree swallows swoop over the surface catching flying insects to eat and to feed their young. They fly so near I can hear the snap of their beaks as they snatch the bugs from the air. A kingfisher’s scratchy rattle echoes across the water. Trout regularly break the surface, sometimes leaping clear in their efforts to capture an insect.

An easy 3 mile trail circles the lake. You can see most of the shoreline from any vantage point on the trail. I am struck by the diversity of biotic communities surrounding this lake: conifer forests; aspen groves; meadows; sagebrush–covered slopes; a small, fast–water creek running into the lake; a larger creek running out of the lake; a yellow pond–lily marsh at the north end; cattail bog at the south end; the narrow lakeshore; the lake bottom and its varying depths; the open water of the lake itself.

All of these ecological communities are composed of groups of distinctive plants and animals interacting with each other and the environment. The communities are usually named after an abundant plant growing there, for example, the cattail marsh community. Since animals are not rooted in one spot, some make their way through many plant communities. Deer, for example, feed in both the meadow and forest. An osprey pair may nest some distance from the water and yet feed on the fish here and also in nearby lakes. All of these communities and the plants and animals living in them interrelate with each other in ways that are essential to the health of all.

I am carrying a small pack containing a camera, a couple of lenses, binoculars, and a small digital voice recorder on which to put my field notes and observations. I’m interested in everything that catches my eye. I especially would like to find any of the species of long–horn beetles that live in this area…to be continued.

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