{"id":5738,"date":"2018-10-19T18:39:47","date_gmt":"2018-10-19T18:39:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=5738"},"modified":"2023-05-05T14:29:55","modified_gmt":"2023-05-05T18:29:55","slug":"how-to-support-bats","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/resources\/how-to-support-bats\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Support Bats in Your Backyard"},"content":{"rendered":"

Step #1 <\/strong>  |  This is When We Realize How Little We Really Know About Bats<\/h2>\n
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A note from The Backyard Naturalist:<\/strong>
Researching our BatWeek blog post “Why We Love Bats (and you should, too.)<\/a>“, we just kept finding fascinating information about bats. We also discovered that Maryland’s native bats are in serious trouble due to habitat loss, pesticides and deadly White-nose Syndrome.<\/p>\n

Understanding these amazing animals is a great first step in figuring out how we can help them. Learn with us as we find out how we can all support bats.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Step #2 <\/strong>  |  Find Out About Our Local Bats<\/h2>\n

Out of the 1300 species of bats worldwide, Maryland is home to 10.<\/p>\n

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Ten Species of Native Maryland Bats<\/h3>\n

The order of Bats species, Chiroptera<\/em><\/strong>, is split into two groups. Maryland’s bats all belong to the same group (Microchiroptera<\/em><\/strong>): bat species found in almost every habitat type on Earth, that eat mainly insects and echolocate to find their food. The other group (Megachiroptera<\/em><\/strong>) contains mostly tropical bats\u2013 fruit or nectar eaters that use their large eyes and noses to find food. Both play critical roles in balancing ecosystems and provide inestimable benefits to human health, agriculture and economy. <\/p>\n

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Two Types of Maryland Native Bats<\/h4>\n

In Maryland, our bats can be subdivided into two different types, Tree Bats<\/strong> or Cave Bats<\/strong>. This differentiation is based on their hibernation & roosting preferences. Tree Bats generally migrate or spend the winter in tree cavities, under loose tree bark, or tucked in under trees beneath leaf litter. Cave Bats tend to hibernate in caves, tunnels or mines.<\/p>\n

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One Serious Situation<\/h4>\n

We are disturbed to find out that all ten species of Maryland bats are designated Species of Greatest Conservation Need<\/em><\/a>. <\/strong> Even worse, several species are also designated as ‘rare in state’<\/em> currently.<\/p>\n

Because human disruption of bats natural habitats is largely to blame, trying our best to restore or recreate just a small patch of it seemed like the right place to start. And also something that we’d enjoy doing together, as a family. We already support wild birds, native bees and butterflies in our backyard. How could we include bats?<\/p>\n

We started by learning about our local bats.<\/p>\n

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Resources<\/h5>\n

Maryland’s Native Bats & Their Habitats<\/h4>\n

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<\/span> Find out more from our dedicated reference page to Maryland native bat species<\/a>. There’s a brief description and habitat requirements of the ten bat species found in MD. Plus, it’s the repository for random interesting facts about these amazing animals that we just keep finding!<\/p>\n

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Step #3 <\/strong>  |  Planning a Bat-Friendly Backyard<\/h2>\n

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After doing a survey about all our local bats, the strategy is to approach planning a bat-friendly habitat the same way we started our micro-habitat for birds<\/a>. Keep it simple. Begin with the three simple elements that make up a habitat: food, water and shelter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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FOOD + WATER + SHELTER = HABITAT<\/span><\/p>\n

Bats and Food<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n

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This one is easy! Our native local bats are insectivores. The best thing we can do is “nothing”. Stop using pesticides , stop mowing lawns and stop raking leaves! A habitat with native plants left alone to do their thing… the insects will come.<\/p>\n

If you’re wondering which native plants could be most helpful to bats, think about what happens in the garden after dark. Bats are nocturnal and they come out looking for insects that are also active at night. Plant night-blooming natives that attract tasty insects.<\/p>\n

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Checklist:<\/h5>\n

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