Ashley Meyer takes a deep breath when I ask her what she found while surveying mines and caves in Fahnestock State Park for hibernating bats. As a wildlife biologist for the Department of Environmental Conservation, she is well aware of these creatures’ fragile hold because of white-nose syndrome.
The fungus, first discovered in the U.S. among New York bats in 2006, decimated our nine species, causing population declines of up to 99 percent. To put that in perspective, consider northern long-eared bats. In 2005, there were an estimated 500,000 or more in New York state. By 2010, only about 5,000 remained.
This past winter, there was “a glimmer of hope for little brown bats, at least,” Meyer says. “It seems like their population is increasing, but we’re not sure if this is a rebound.”
There is much to appreciate about bats. They are the only flying mammal, nurse their young with milk and have extraordinary powers of hearing and sight. The bats found in our area can eat up to 50 percent of their body weight in insects in a single night. We don’t have much contact with them because their habits keep them separated from humans for the most part, and that has led to fear and misunderstanding.
While there is much research on white-nose syndrome, there is no cure or treatment. Meyer describes the environments where the bats return each year to be coated in the fungus. It grows into their skin and, while scientists don’t fully understand how the process works, it disrupts hibernation, causing the bats to become agitated and wake up.
Waking up depletes a bat’s fat stores and it can starve to death if awakened repeatedly. Recreational cavers exploring during the winter also rouse the bats and compound a dire situation. Despite posted warnings and barriers, Meyer says her team has seen signs of trespassing, such as footprints and beer cans. “I saw places where people tried to remove the bars,” she says. “People need to stay out of the caves and mines in the winter.”
Meyer finds deep meaning in her work with bats. “They are cryptic as a species because you don’t see them on a regular basis, or at all,” she says. “I get to peek into their lives and see them in action. I feel like bats are the underdog and people dislike them. They get a bad rap, but a lot of New York bats have had a rough time. They’re incredible animals.”
As part of her work to debunk myths, Meyer will speak at the Desmond-Fish Public Library in Garrison at 2 p.m. on April 13 about New York’s bat species and their habitats and how people can support these vulnerable animals.
I was curious how gardeners could help. Meyer says the bat diet is mainly moths and beetles. Bats are voracious consumers and eat plenty of mosquitoes, but they aren’t substantial enough in terms of calories.
By cross-referencing plants that are larval hosts for certain moths and beetles, I began a list of native plants that are bat-friendly. For example, the blue wood aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium) is food to 109 species of caterpillars. Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), goldenrods (Solidago spp.) and bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) are also popular with caterpillars.
Generally speaking, nighttime pollinators will visit white or light-colored flowers, while beetles are attracted to flowers with strong scents. These could include evening primrose, native geraniums and phlox, and Golden alexander (Zizia aurea).
The National Wildlife Foundation’s new native-plant database is a unique reference. Enter your ZIP code at nativeplantfinder.nwf.org and it will provide a list of plants, trees and shrubs that host butterfly and moth species. It’s the most comprehensive database joining plant and insect species I’ve found and certainly meets a need.
