International Bat Week is October 24-31. The City of Arlington’s Stormwater Management Division and the River Legacy Nature Center invites parents and kids to learn about bats and their contributions to our food supply and ecosystem. There are over 1,400 bats species all over the world and the State of Texas is home to over 30. Bats are extremely important to our environment. They provide important pollination services and pest control.
About 70% of bats eat primarily on insects. These insectivorous bats help farmers and forest managers by saving billions of dollars each year by reducing crop damage and decreasing the need for pesticides. For example, the Brazilian or Mexican Free-tailed bat loves to eat the Corn earworm moth. Studies have shown that the bats controlling the adult moths suppresses the caterpillar or larvae numbers which is highly destructive to corn crops and other commercial crops.
Nectar feeding bats drink nectar from flowers and their bodies pick up pollen. As they move from flower to flower, they are aiding the plant in Pollination. This pollination service is crucial for giant cacti, agave and other commercial products like balsa wood, carob, cloves and durian fruit. The Mexican Long Nosed Bat and the Mexican Long-Tongued Bat are pollinators of the Agave plant.
Fruit bats are more efficient at dropping seeds over large areas than many animals and birds. Seed Dispersal by animals is common but bats tend to fly over large areas and can disperse seeds in various regions. Amazon fruit bats are crucial to the propagation of the fig tree and conversely the fig tree is one of the bats most important food sources. This dependent relationship or symbiosis shows that without this relationship, they would both have a hard time surviving.
Our Bat Night will consist of bat house demonstration and discussion, Echo meter demonstration, bat displays and kids craft tables. If you’re interested in learning about our local bats, come celebrate International Bat Week with us from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26 at River Legacy Park – Legacy Pavilion, 701 NW Green Oaks Blvd., Arlington, TX 76006. For more information, contact the Stormwater Education Specialist at 817-459-6572 or [email protected].
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