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Bats

I’m going batty

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Bats!

I am completely fascinated by these amazing creatures. We have several different species of bats here in Ohio and I think the ones we have zooming around our neighborhood at night are big browns. At dusk, right as the light fades from the sky and the street lights start to come on, I head out to listen and watch for the bats to take over the skies.

The most I’ve seen at any one time is 15, which is pretty amazing. The big browns (at least I think they are big browns) make this slight ticking/clicking noise as they swoop around. IT is so relaxing to watch and listen.

Each summer the kids and I plan a huge list of things we want to do and then make up a idea board. Here is a picture of last year’s board. board

I like drawing each thing and having them willy-nilly on the board. My friend does something similar with her kids but she keeps everything perfectly aligned.

So if you do this, do what works for you. There is no right or wrong way to be creative.

The kids liked recording the dates but as you can see lost track of noting the dates on everything and I didn’t go crazy trying to make sure everything we did got recorded.

It is an idea board, a launching pad, a doorway into all the things you think about and would like to do but forget with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Also, on days we didn’t have anything planned, we would flip a coin, see where it landed on the board, and do that thing. This is very exciting when you are seven years old.

This year, I’m adding build a bat house to the board.

It will teach the kids carpentry skills and conservation. Granted that might also mean a trip to the doctor for stitches.

I don’t know if we will get any bats but it’d be nice to at least hang a welcome sign out for the bats that entertain and delight us each evening.

Caves, Bats, and Death

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Watch out on cave trips as you could spread white-nose syndrome.

Bats are dying and that is a big problem for agriculture. Bats eat a lot of bugs and also help pollinate plants. ODOW_Bat_crystal snodgrass

In fact, bats consume over half of their body weight in insects each night. It is estimated that if we lose our bat populations the agricultural damage sustained would be $53 billion each year. That’s billion with a B people!

The disease affecting bats is called white-nose syndrome. It is from a previously unknown cold loving fungus called Geomyces destructans. This fungus thrives in cave environments where the humidity is high and the temperatures are low.

It is not known exactly how this fungus kills bats but bats affected by it awaken during hibernation. This causes the bats to use up their fat reserves that they rely on to survive the winter. Unfortunately, white-nose syndrome has spread rapidly from where it was first detected in a cave in New York in 2006.

So what can you do? Click here and choose two or three or all!