Pinecrest Gardens Blog: It's Getting Absolutely BATTY At The Garden!

Press release from Pinecrest Gardens Blog:

September 24, 2021

 Over the past few months, we've been working behind the scenes on a very special project here at the Gardens. In conjunction with the Upper Garden Renovation, we've been doing a bit of citizen science to learn more about my favorite night-time pollinators... BATS!

I am SO excited about this project because not only bats are important to our environment (like did you know they can eat up to 3,000 insects in an evening), but they are also very vulnerable and undeniable cute. Believe it or not, we have 13 species of bats that call Florida home, and a few others that have been sighted periodically. Most of the bats that we have are insect feeding bats, but we do have a few that may visit flowers for nectar, pollinating away as they feed.

Included in those 13 species found in FL is our endangered Florida Bonneted Bat, who's range is found almost exclusively in South Florida. Merlin Tuttle, a famous bat scientist, calls the FL Bonneted Bat 'Americas Rarest Bat'. 

The Florida Bonneted bat is in trouble, and while there is a movement to help save this adorable sky puppy, our efforts are drowning in the desires of development and urban sprawl.  Their homes (often mature pine trees), and habitats (Pinelands, Pine Rocklands), are being destroyed in record time. Additionally, these bats don't gather in large numbers of individuals in their colonies. Female bats only give birth to one pup per season, so maintaining large populations isn't something they do. Their homes are becoming more and more urban. The landscape is changing, leaving behind any sliver of hope for finding a place to roost. So, we want to know if and how the bats are adapting, and what we can do help them. With nowhere to roost and dwindling populations, what becomes of these bats?

First, we identified that we would like to provide roosts, or bat houses for bats at the Garden.  The Upper Garden Project nature trail has pollinator friendly and wildlife engagement features, so we thought it fitting to include bat houses into the design of that area. Rather than just buy a pre-fabricated bat house, we wanted to learn a bit more about how the houses are used, by which species, and ultimately to create a design that was appealing for visitors (both bats and people). We also wanted to address how and where to install the houses so that they would be easily accessed by bats and a safe distance from the public. So, it was time for a field trip to Zoo Miami!

Scientists at Zoo Miami, Melquisedec Gamba-Rios and Frank Ridgley, took us on an introductory bat tour of the Zoo property, and gave us all kinds of pointers about building bat houses, requirements, spacing, which species we might be able to attract, and even different styles of houses. Frank and Melqui very kindly put up with me asking a million questions about bats. It was the best day.

After our visit to Zoo Miami, we went back to the drawing board, literally, as Artists Laz Ojalde and Natalie Zlamalova of Amlgmatd worked to design one of a kind structures for both FL bonneted bats, and other species, with the hopes of installing the new homes along the lake of the garden. 

In the meantime, we worked with Melqui further and installed sound equipment by the lake to capture frequencies of bats who inhabited our area, or who were at the very least feeding at the Garden. Our goal was to establish who is living here, if any species, and from there determine how we can better accommodate the bats.  Also, the data can be used by Melqui and the team at BCI. Melqui's current role with BCI is leading Florida Bonneted Bat Conservation and outreach. The feedback from the recorders can help him and our community determine how bat populations behave in an urban setting. This,  Melqui tells me, is something their team is interested in expanding on. Can humans intervene further to help save the bonneted bat? Is there enough forage and potential roosting sites for bats in urban environments? How do we bridge the gap? We're hoping to continue with recordings throughout the year to monitor population changes. What we find may help Florida Bonneted Bats. Included here is a sample of the data that we've received from the recorders. We're excited to report that we have recorded seven species of bats in our immediate area. The pulses even show indications of the Florida Bonneted Bat, so we're really excited!

Stay tuned for updates on the design of the bat houses, and data from the recording device. Also, a huge thank you to Melqui of Bat Conservation International and Miami Bat Lab for his time and care, and teaching us about these incredible animals. Another big thank you to Zoo Miami and Frank Ridgley, for the wonderful field trip to the zoo and opportunity to learn from the best.  I'm really looking forward to expanding our bat programming in the future, and excited that we can potentially provide a roosting space for the urban dwellers. 

Happy Digging!

This press release was produced by Pinecrest Gardens Blog. The views expressed here are the author’s own.