The Hudson Valley’s Only Flying Mammal is Honored this Week
Over the last two years we have certainly learn a lot more than we wanted to about bats but the truth is there is lots more to learn especially when it come to how important they are to our environment.
2020 may have started out with us talking about our bat friends in a negative light but in 2021 we have a better understanding about a bat's importance to our ecosystem here in the Hudson Valley. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation also shared this year that it seems some of our bats (the Little Brown Bat) are rebounding after their populations were in decline, this is good news.
Whether you are a bat fan or not you should know that the week before Halloween is time to celebrate the bat with "Bat Week" recognized internationally from October 24th through October 31st. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation sent out a reminders that here in New York State we actually have 9 species of bats. Three live in trees and the other six are cave dwellers. Check out the The NYS DEC Bat Brochure. It break down facts about bats and talks about the 9 bat species that call New York home.
One way to help our local bats is to build bat boxes. This is a fun project to do with the family to learn more about our Hudson Valley Bat population. The NYS DEC share this information on how to build your own bat box.
Last year when I looked into Bat Week I learned that the bat is the only mammal that can fly. They eat 20 to 50 % of their body weight in insects each night. They don't have nests they have roosts and the babies called pups are born with well developed feet so they learn to hang early. Find out more by clicking here.
You also may not realize but bats are responsible for a lot of the food we eat. Batweek.org has shared a list of the foods and a recipe book so you can have some fun learning more about the importance of the Bat while making bat food inspired dishes. Spoiler alert Cinco De Mayo would not be as festive without our friend the bat. They help pollinate avocadoes and the agave plant that gives us Tequila.
Bats aren't good Pets and neither are some of these animals