Exploring the Western NY Wilds: The invasive common buckthorn
Don’t eat the berries!!! By Bob Confer This time of the year you might take notice of shrubs or small trees bearing dark-purple or black berries. Don’t eat them. The […]
Category: outdoor-activities
🌿 Hickory Hill Camping Resort Earns Double Honors in “Best of Camp New York” Awards
Bath NY Campground wins Best Family-Friendly and Best Glamping!! From Penny Carlton, KeukaRoots.com There’s something special about Hickory Hill Camping Resort — the laughter echoing from the pool, the smell […]
Exploring the Western NY Wilds: The beautiful American sycamore
The “Confer Sycamore” is older than the United States of America By Bob Confer, follow Exploring The Western NY Wilds on Facebook In what is now my backyard, there once […]
Exploring the Western NY Wilds: Don’t touch the oil beetle
The toxic chemical cantharidin causes serious blisters and can kill a mammal if ingested accidently By Bob Confer During October and November you will encounter an insect that’s certain to […]
Exploring the Western NY Wilds: Where did all of the pheasants go?
The Ringed-Neck Pheasant has become a rare sight in WNY due to several realities By Bob Confer, photo by Craig Braack If you are a Baby Boomer, you will remember […]
A Spellbinding Afternoon on the Water!
Penny Carlton / October 16, 2025 My First Witches & Warlocks Paddle: A Spellbinding Afternoon on the Water! This Saturday, I’m heading to Penn Yan to witness what promises to […]
Exploring the Western NY Wilds: Fox squirrels, a rare sight in WNY
The largest squirrel in our woods is growing in numbers and expanding their range By Bob Confer, Most of my nature library is made up of books I accumulated as […]
Annual Naples Grape Festival Wraps Up with Major Crowds
GALLERY: Hundreds of people filled the streets of Naples Saturday for its famous annual Grape Festival By Sonya Ellison, State Troopers and local police departments directed traffic in downtown Naples […]
Explore Local Food Sources in Steuben County on October 11
Don’t miss Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Farm Trail Day Hayrides, Pick your own apples and grapes, meet the farm animals From CCE Steuben, Bath, NY – On Saturday, October 11 Cornell Cooperative […]
Ridgewalk 2025: Explore WNY’s wilderness for a great cause
“In 1993, a small army of volunteers under the guidance of Rich Shear created Ridgewalk” By Bob Confer Many readers of this column hail from the lake plains, where the […]
Horseweed: Friend, Foe, or Both?
This native plant is herbicide resistant and can be ten foot tall!! By Carol Sitarski, Master Gardener Volunteer, Cornell Cooperative Extension Allegany County Horseweed (Conyza canadensis, aka Erigeron canadensis), a […]
Hilltop Sunflower Maze Wraps Up Season with Sale, gorgeous GALLERY
All you can pick sunflowers for $10 on August 25, 3-8pm By Sonya Ellison, drone photos by Joshua Rampulla Nestled in the hills of Howard on County Road 56 is […]
34th  Anniversary Annual Kids Fishing Contest A Celebration Success
Wellsville’s Iris Davis lands the biggest fish!! From the Andover Wetlands Project, The Andover Wetlands Annual Kids Fishing Contest celebrated its 34th anniversary with participants from Andover as well […]
A look back at the Steuben County Fair 2025
GALLERY by Janie Ferguson if Cameron Mills I had a grand time at the Steuben County Fair this week with my daughter Anna & our four youngest grandchildren. We always […]
Repairs Underway on West Almond Trails Just in Time for IMPACT’s 8/23 Run-Walk Event on August 23
Register online now for this popular day on the trail By Gail Richardson, Pictured IMPACT officers Glenn Gebhard and Nicole Munkwitz discuss how to repair a West Almond forest trail. […]