Gardening for… BATS?
Bats eat mosquitoes and garden pests, and we are lucky to have a huge colony of Mexican free tailed bats at the McNeil Bridge. And there are many other species here, and we would all do well to help them as much as possible so they can help us. Do you like tequila? The agaves that make it are only pollinated by bats. Even if you’re a teetotaler, bats are fascinating and it is a real thrill to see them in your backyard! Here’s how…

• Find ways to control pests that don’t involve using non-targeted pesticides. (Of course, bats themselves are a great way to control pests!)
• If you can get away with it, leave some dead branches on trees in your yard. These are the source of both nest sites and insects that will help bats as well as many birds, including Woodpeckers, Chickadees, Titmice, and more. Trees are really important to bats. Oak trees are the most valuable, since they provide both next size and numerous food sources.
• We don’t have pollen- or fruit-eating bats in central Texas, so the best bet is to provide plants that attract the types of insects they eat. Moth pollinated plants are the best.
• Use plants that have the following characteristics:

-Night blooming
-White or light colored
-fragrant, especially at night
-flowers that stay open at night
-have varying blooming seasons, so something will be blooming throughout the year
Some of the best plants include:

• Kidneywood
• Datura
• Goldenrod
• Sunflowers
• Yuccas, Agave, and Sotols (The blooms are huge moth attractors)
• Yaupon holly (this will also get you lots of birds that eat the berries produced by female trees)
• Fragrant mistflower (also called shrubby boneset)
• Evening primrose family plants
• most milkweeds