The Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge – a.k.a. “Alabama Swamps” -- 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 the Refuge’s trails. When it comes to those hikes, Swallow Hollow – and its famous boardwalk -- is far and away the most popular trail, with the Kanyoo and Feeder trails coming in second and third. The least popular of the trails is Onondaga. That is by no means a reflection of the quality of the experience to be had there. Instead, it comes down to the trail being off the beaten path, which makes it a real hidden gem. The Onondaga Trail is located on Sour Springs Road, which is parallel to and just to the east of Route 63. To get there, you have to take 63 to Roberts Road to Sour Springs, heading north on Sour Springs Road. You cannot access the trailhead if you traveled south on Sour Springs after visiting the two popular overlooks at Ringneck Marsh because the So...

  In the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit and destined all of mankind to some miserable aspects of existence. No one knows exactly what the forbidden fruit was, but the image that most people have in their head is that of an apple. There’s a plant in WNY that goes by the name of apple – specifically the May apple – but it’s not an apple. I would, though, consider it for the most part to be a forbidden fruit. The May apple is a fairly common springtime wildflower that can be found in forests, woodlots and hedgerows. It can form fair-sized colonies on the forest floor — it’s not uncommon to see a dozen to a few dozen plants in one area. They can be readily identified by their tell-tale umbrella-like appearance. The May apple stands a foot to a foot-and-a-half tall. At the top of its split stem are two large leaves that are deeply-lobed, giving it appearance of having multiple leaves when really you are just seeing 5 to 9 lobes. Those two leaves cover a fairl...

  May is an incredible month for birdwatchers. We are blessed by the return – or passing through – of birds that are countless in both species and numbers, from shorebirds to songbirds. Among the most beloved by birders are the warblers, the so-called “butterflies of the bird world” due to their incredible colors, small size, and constant movement. As much as we want to admire them it can be a struggle at times -- they give us eye strain and neck strain. Due to their tendencies to not like human proximity and to spend much of their time in the tree tops it’s over difficult to get a good picture, let alone good view, without some really good lenses or field glasses. There is one species, though, that accommodates our interest: the palm warbler. They are the most trusting of warblers. I experienced that again firsthand last weekend when my family and I took a hike around Alfred University’s Foster Lake, which is a warbler mecca during migration. Despite constant education on the ma...