Bats play an important role in Texas' ecosystem
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AUSTIN (KXAN) — Did you know that the Mexican free-tailed bat is Texas’ official flying mammal?
These bats are beneficial to the state, helping with insect control and pollination. Bats pollinate through their elongated snouts and tongues. This helps them take on a collection of nectar. They get this nectar on their faces and bodies as they move from flower to flower.
Rich Segal spoke Tuesday with Shannon Casey, who is the marketing and outreach specialist with Take Care of Texas, an initiative from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Their conversation included what types of plants help bats, starting with native plants that bloom at night. The reason? Plants that bloom in the dark provide necessary nectar and help in the bat’s pollination effort.
Many people have birdhouses in their yards. Some bat-lovers have bat boxes to give the bats a place to stay. There’s a proper way to build the house and where it should be placed.
As with any animal or mammal, you want to avoid certain herbicides that have harmful chemicals designed to get rid of weeds and pests.
It’s all about preserving the bat population and their ability to reproduce.
Bat conservation plays a role in taking care of our ecosystem, and is enhanced a little more during April in the days leading up to Earth Day 2025 on April 22.
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