Tag: Bob Confer

Battling through one of the most oppressively hot summers in memory, many Western New Yorkers are pining for the more temperate days and cooler nights of the fall. With the…

Western New York sky watchers have had a relatively eventless 2016 – no eclipses, a brief and disappointing look at Comet Catalina, and almost no northern lights. Many of us…

The Iroquois Wildlife Refuge is not lacking in things to do for the nature lover, whether it’s observing migrating birds from the lookouts, paddling Oak Orchard Creek, or hiking on…

The winter of 2010-2011 was not a kind one for local landowners who have bass ponds on their property. Most ponds in Western New York froze over on Thanksgiving and…

Ginseng is one of the more common herbal supplements on the market. The global demand for the magical root (it can allegedly increase memory, concentration, immunity and libido while decreasing…

When people think of Golden Hill State Park, the first things that come to mind are its famed lighthouse and its impressive campground. But, it’s much more than that. For…

This past Sunday, my family and I awoke to find a gigantic moth on the outside of our kitchen window. It was a polyphemus moth, the largest – and the…

In the Far North of Canada, reindeer moss is an incredibly important food for caribou. It has been estimated that it provides 50% of the nourishment for the hoofed beasts…

The common nighthawk is an interesting creature. At just over 9" in length, a little bit smaller than a blue jay, it is a medium-sized bird that can be seen…

Every May, Western New York hikers are caught off guard by a rather gigantic flowering plant that is unlike any other to be found this time of year. With its…