Featured Creature: Getting Batty!

  Here at Beaver Creek Reserve, we got a little batty and celebrated Bat Week the last week of October. Our naturalist, Megan Giefer created a fun YouTube video explaining some myths and truths surrounding these mysterious creatures. In this post we can dive even deeper and touch on some more fun facts about these little guys.

Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus)

    Bats are very diverse mammals in shape and size. An impressive 1,400+ species are found word wide. Furthermore, bats reside on just about every part of the planet, aside from extreme deserts and polar regions. In Wisconsin, we can observe eight different species alone! This includes the little brown bat, big brown bat, northern myotis or eastern long ear, silver haired bat, red bat, hoary bat, eastern pipistrelle, and the Indiana bat (endangered).

The little brown bat is the most common Myotis species found the in the northern U.S. This species can typically be found roosting with big brown bats in buildings and trees during the summer. For winter, the little brown bat hibernates in the nearest cave or abandoned mine. These are the kinds typically found in homes near rivers, lakes and marshes. The big brown bat is very similar in many ways. This species ranges in color from pale brown to dark brown with a black wing membrane. The northern myotis appears to be closely related to the little brown bat as well, though with duller and less glossy hair in appearance. Both species of bats feast on insects.

    In contrast, other species such as the silver haired bat have black or dark brown hair and silver frosted dorsal fur. It tends to reside in wooded areas and migrates south in the winter to hibernate in rock crevices and tree hollows. Furthermore, the red bat with reddish tinted fur tends to be found in tree foliage in the summer, also migrating south in colder months. They are more of a solitary species with a preferred diet of moths. In addition, the hoary bat is one of the largest in the U.S. and most widely found. Their fur appears dark yellow, tipped with white. It also tends to roost in tree foliage and eats moths. These creatures may migrate to far subtropical areas when the weather starts to cool. Lastly, the northern pipstrelle is the smallest bat found in the area, measuring around 3 or less inches, with a wingspan around 7 inches. These bats tend to live in wooded areas and emerge earlier than most.

 bat vs. human bone anatomy

 Something interesting to note is that bats are the only mammals that can fly. The anatomy of their wings closely resembles that of a human arm, including bones such as the humerus, radius, ulna, metacarpals, carpals, and phalanges. While small, bats are quick little creatures. Their speed depends on the species, but they are able to reach up to 100 mph. The membrane that extends between each of their phalanges is what makes them the excellent fliers they are.

    Bats tend to have a bad reputation, but what most people aren't aware of is how much they do for us humans. Interestingly, some bats are pollinators and around 300 species of fruits rely on them. Additionally, bats also help out with pesky insects. These creatures consume thousands of insects each night, more than their own body weight! This is especially helpful to farmers and foresters, keeping away some of those unwanted pests. It's estimated that bats contribute around $22 billion in pest control each year. Without bats, our natural environments would be compromised. Biodiversity is important and other webs of life are affected when bats are in danger. You may not enjoy having them in your home, but having them around provides many benefits that are hard to deny.

Bat with White Nose Syndrome

 In order to keep them around, there are a measures that can be taken. While bats don't really carry disease, they are still susceptible to it. Specifically, bats have been found to suffer from something called White-Nose Syndrome. WNS is a fungus that contributes to a high mortality rate in hibernating bats. Some effects of this syndrome include lower body weight, dehydration, and damaged wings. The fungus is found on the muzzle and wings of bats. It's estimated that 6 million bats have died from the fungus since it was discovered in 2006. To do your part and limit the spread, it's best to stay away from caves where bats are hibernating. When traveling into caves its best to ensure that your clothing, shoes and gear are clean and disinfected. The fungus can cling onto these surfaces and spread, causing great harm. Other measures that can be taken to help out  is to build a bat garden or install a bat house. You can find out more information on how to build a bat house on the Wisconsin DNR website.

    Bats are cool creatures that we tend to take for granted! They are incredible and diverse in their characteristics. There is not much to be fearful of when it comes to the bat. They are harmless creatures, and as noted, more helpful than not.

Winterberry

 

Winterberry 
photo by Ruth Forsgren

by Ruth Forsgren, Naturalist Beaver Creek Reserve

Now that the leaves have dropped maybe you have noticed, especially in wet areas these bushes that are loaded with bright red berries all clustered along the stem. This is a native shrub known as Common Winterberry (Ilex verticillata).

Holly
 (image from Flikr)

Winterberry is a member of the holly family; but, unlike its cousins it does not have the leaves with spiny tips around the margin, nor does it retain its leaves throughout the winter.  Winterberry shrubs range from five to fifteen feet in height and are more common in wetter, acidic soils. So, in Wisconsin this means that you are more likely to find Winterberry in the northern and western parts of the state. The native range covers most of the eastern part of North America.

The winterberry is what is known as a dioecious. The word dioecious comes from the Greek word for two households. In the case of winterberry, it refers to two different types of plants being needed for fruit production. The male plant produces small, white pollen producing flowers. These flowers are known as staminate flowers. The female plants produce non-pollen producing pistillate flowers. The female flowers need to be pollenated with pollen from the male plants to produce fruit. The plants are primarily pollinated by native bees.

Frost on Winterberry 
photo by Ruth Forsgren

Winterberry is the host plant for Henry’s Elfin butterfly. Throughout their range, the bright red fruits are known to be used as a food source by small mammals and 48 species of birds including American Robins, Cedar Waxwings and various woodpeckers.  Although the berries are a good food source for the birds the bush itself does not seem to make good browse for deer and rabbits. While the berries are a food source for wildlife they are poisonous to humans.

photo by Ruth Forsgren

 

The fruits, while so very attractive on the bush, do not dry well. The branches and berries can be kept in a live cut-flower arrangement for several days. Think you might like winterberry in your yard? You can purchase various Winterberry cultivars at local nurseries. Remember you have to buy both a male and female plant. Because flowering times of cultivars can vary be sure to buy the right male counterpart to your female plant. People at the nursery should be able to help with this.