Stars of the Night Working together to create a ‘batty’ neighbourhood Find more information at devonbatproject.org What’s special about the greater Roosts Greater horseshoe bats roost in old buildings, caves and mines, making horseshoe Devon the perfect location for them. Horseshoe bats need to be able to fly straight into their roost, where they grab on with their feet and hang bat? upside down. The greater horseshoe orris olin M bat is one of the largest bats in the UK. They emerge © C about half an hour after sunset, when it’s nice and dark. They have a distinctive nose-leaf shaped like a horseshoe Why do they which aids their particular type of echolocation. Devon need is their stronghold in northern Europe, but there are not many of them left. our help? © s e F r m Greater horseshoe bats rely on our a y n S e k ik landscapes. They need well connected G M r e © and managed hedges, grassland, woods e n a and rivers to navigate and forage. They w a are at risk from loss of suitable habitat y and through lack of public awareness. Listening to bats these echolocation calls Gardening for bats could make a real Bats, like us, can see when by using a device called different to their chances. it is light, but at night they a bat detector, which send out pulses of sound makes them audible to Visit and listen to the echoes humans. This is because devonbatproject.org bouncing back from trees echolocation calls are to find out more or insects. These act as too high pitched for us amazing facts a torch of sound to give to hear. Different species about the greater them a picture of their echolocate at different horseshoe bat surroundings. Humans frequencies, and can sound can usually only hear very different as well. 2 devonbatproject.org devonbatproject.org 3 Careful planning will increase the value of your garden or green space to bats Herbs and Lay on a and other wildlife, however small it is. aromatic flowers As bats need a huge number of insects, a garden that is good for insects is good banquet for bats. Even a window box or tiny town Popular with a wide-range of insects garden can attract insects, which in turn attract bats. Marjoram Borage for bats (Origanum (Borago Lavender (Lavandula vulgare) officinalis) Aim to grow as wide a range of flowers x intermedia) throughout the year as possible to attract a diversity of insects. Here are some suggestions: Tall, pale or night-scented Daisies or flowers similar flowers These are more obvious Short florets attract to night time insects many pollinating insects such as moths Evening Night-scented including solitary bees Cosmos – single Michaelmas daisy primrose stock (Matthiola Hemp agrimony flower forms (Symphyotrichum (Oenothera longipetala) (Eupatorium Oxeye daisy novi-belgii) biennis) (Leucanthemum vulgare) cannabinum) Aquatic Umbellifers plants ‘Landing platforms’ Plants in ponds and attractive to a very marshy areas provide wide range of insects Bishop’s weed Sea holly habitat for aquatic Purple Water mint including longhorn (Ammi majus) (Eryngium spp.) larvae such as mayflies loosestrife (Mentha Wild angelica beetles, solitary wasps, Lady’s smock or (Lythrum aquatica) (Angelica sylvestris) hoverflies and other flies cuckoo flower salicaria) (Cardamine pretensis) Flowers with long pollen-tubes Trees, shrubs Can attract longer and climbers tongued insects such as butterflies, moths and Scotch thistle Purple top Will support a huge some bumblebees (Onopordum (Verbena Common honeysuckle range of insects acanthium) bonariensis) (Lonicera periclymenum) Hebe Common ivy (Hebe spp.) (Hedera helix) Image credits for pages 4&5: Bee bombus © Rachel Scopes; Oxeye daisy © Carol Sheppard; Cosmos © RHS; Michaelmas daisy © RHS; Mountain ash Hoverfly © Mark Robinson; Oxeye daisy © Carol Sheppard; Wild angelica © RHS Simon Garbutt; Bishop’s weed © RHS Susan Grayer; Sea holly © RHS Tim Sandall; Yellow-barred longhorn moth © RHS Andrew Halstead; Common honeysuckle © RHS Christopher Whitehouse; or rowan Purple top © RHS Anna Brockman; Common carder bee © Penny Firth; Lavender © RHS Jullian Weigall; Marjoram © RHS Carol Sheppard (Sorbus aucuparia) Borage © Dawn Dickens; Hemp agrimony © RHS Wendy Wesley; Evening primrose © Graham Titchmarsh; Night-scented stock © RHS Katy Prentice; Mayfly © Jon Hawkins; Purple loosestrife © Carol Sheppard; Winter mint © Phillip Precey; Caterpillar © Chris Maguire; Mountain ash or rowan © Neil Hepworth; Hebe © RHS Graham Titchmarsh; Common ivy © Phillip Precey 04 devonbatproject.org devonbatproject.org 05 Welcome bats into your © Hugh Clark garden or Reduce your A pond or marshy light pollution area will support All bat species are the aquatic larvae of green space nocturnal, resting in insects such as small dark conditions during flies, which are a favourite the day and emerging at of pipistrelle bats. night to feed. Artificial light, such as street lights, Allow a patch of grass As well as growing flowers, there are other ways garden security lighting, to grow long as this is to attract insects to your garden. You can create or decorative lighting an important habitat for on homes and trees, can microhabitats, by making log or leaf piles, mulching many insect larvae. have a detrimental effect garden beds and leaving hollow stems standing over on bats by affecting Avoid using winter for bugs to shelter in. the time they roost pesticides © Hugh Clark and come out to hunt. and encourage You can support bats in natural predators If you have a wall your neighbourhood by instead. Predatory beetles, or fence grow reducing or turning off centipedes, hoverflies, your garden lighting. If ladybirds, lacewings and climbing you’d prefer to keep on ground beetles are the plants your security lighting, gardener’s friends. They Trees and shrubs consider changing your will happily move into against it to add provide food and shelter settings to a dimmer compost heaps, log piles another level for many insect larvae. light or fit hoods or cowls and rockeries and will © RHS Andrew Halstead to your garden In a small garden, choose over them to limit light show their appreciation structure. trees that can be coppiced pollution. by polishing off your – cut down to the ground garden pests. A small hedge every few years – such as © Anna Guthrie or a shelter hazel to allow new shoots belt created by to spring from the base. walls and fences Young shoots and leaves encourages a will support leaf-eating concentration of insects, even if they do not produce flowers. They flying insects can also be striking focal © Tom Marshall which in turn will points in a small garden. attract more birds and bats. 06 devonbatproject.org devonbatproject.org 07 © Corinne Welch, copyright Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts 2015 2015 Trusts Trusts Wildlife Wildlife of of Society Society Royal Royal copyright copyright Welch, Welch, Corinne Corinne © © 2015 Trusts Wildlife of Society Royal copyright Welch, Corinne © An insect hotel will provide a feast for bats for a feast will provide hotel An insect A compost heap will attract bat prey – insects! prey bat will attract heap A compost How to make your own compost own your make to How devonbatproject.org hotel an insect make to How devonbatproject.org 08 devonbatproject.org devonbatproject.org 09 Looking afterbats through the seasons © Aubrey Furner All year round: Which flowers attract most insects? Here’s a handy guide to the small actions you can take Look at the flowers in your garden to see which ones throughout the year to support the stars of the night in are most attractive to insects. Look at other gardens to © RHS Andrew your garden or green space: Halstead see which flowers are in bloom at different times. This will be a help in planning the best way to attract insects Keep cats Do a spot of bat throughout the year. If you’re unsure, you can also use Spring indoors from an watching at a ‘bat haven’ this list to help you to choose insect-attracting plants: hour before sunset, close to you. For hints on rhs.org.uk/perfectforpollinators Plant nectar-rich when bats emerge where to watch for bats plants, trees and shrubs from their roosts. go to the Big Bat Map What do I do if I find a grounded bat? for example lungwort, www.bigbatmap.org Any bat that is found on the ground, especially during the primrose, honesty and Plant nectar-rich plants, Add your own sightings day, is likely to need help. Contain in a box using gloves wallflower. including corncockle, too to help others enjoy or a soft cloth andcall the Bat Helpline 0345 1300 228 for fennel, knapweed, lavendar, your discoveries. Add further advice. Build a pond or water red campion, sea holly, your own sightings too feature. scabious and ox-eye daisy. to help others enjoy your Be an ambassador for bats discoveries. Tell other people what amazing animals bats are, Join a local Bat Autumn especially during Halloween when bats are a hot topic! Group to find out more Winter Share the ideas in this booklet to help people make their about bats in your area. gardens and green spaces more bat-friendly. Put up bat boxes for next year’s roost. Ensure Leave hollow stems for Summer that you never disturb a overwintering insects. bat box once its up. Count the bats near All bat species When winter your home as part of the and their roosts pruning trees Bat watch! National Bat Monitoring are now legally be aware of any Not sure where to go to Programme (NBMP) protected. hollow cavities see bats? Take a look at and help to gather or potential our top reserves to spot important data. Plant new trees roosting sites and ensure these flying mammals: and shrubs including these are not disturbed.