Margaritas and Guacamole: What’s Bats Got to do with It

This may not be the year you want to talk about bats. But the truth is we should always be talking about bats and how important they are to our environment. 2020 may have started out with us talking about our bat friends in a negative light but the reality is they are very important to our ecosystem here in the Hudson Valley.

Once again it is time to celebrate the bat with "Bat Week" recognized internationally from October 24th through October 31st. It seems fitting in 2020 that bat week would close out on Halloween. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation sent out a reminder this week 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.

And before you go calling them flying mice or rodents you may want to get your facts straight. What I have learned from my research into bat week is 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.

Being that Bat Week and Halloween are link up this year I also thought it would be a good idea to share the NYS DEC's environmentally friendly Halloween decorating ideas which includes and idea for a bat.