October is the most beautiful and mysterious month of the year. Trees dress up in wonderful shades of red, orange, yellow, even purple to celebrate the end of the growing season. When the party is over, the hardworking leaves are released to dance, celebrating their freedom waltzing on an autumn breeze.
Hallowe’en approaches and our thoughts turn to costume parties, candy, and children dressing up as superhero alter-egos. Decorations for the season always include skeletons and pumpkins and also those animals associated most closely with darkness and the supernatural, bats.
Cooler autumn temperatures make it an ideal time to trim shrubs and trees, preparing for winter. Living on the edge of a rapidly encroaching forest, this is a never-ending task. We have a small round pen for training horses set close to our house. It is shaded by a towering tulip poplar. Keeping the lower limbs trimmed is important, as they often reach over the railing of the pen at just the right height to give a mouthful of leaves to an inattentive rider. Tulip poplar leaves don’t taste great but they have a lemony scent.
Who knew that Virginia’s Little Brown Bats find tulip trees and ideal place to roost during the day? This l learned when a sleepy Bat dropped on my shoulder, attached to a small branch that had just been trimmed. I wasn’t sure exactly what was on the branch, as Bat was still asleep with wings curled closely around his body. As I bent down to peer more closely, Bat opened eyes and mouth and it was immediately apparent how the Dracula and vampire legends began! Those fangs!! That hissing!
Bat uncurled his wings and crawled towards me, exciting the porch cats and the dogs. Fearing the worst for all of us, I shooed the cats and rounded the dogs back into the house. Bat continued to crawl, its tiny feet dragging his body and extended wings. Not sure what to do, or if Bat was injured, my first thought was to contact my niece Laura, who is a bat expert. She studied the cause and effects of White- Nose Syndrome on bats for her Master’s degree. (See below for more information on this devastating disease.) While waiting for a response from Laura, I texted pictures of Bat to my sisters. I got exactly the responses I expected… “Get to the E.R. NOW!” “Call your doctor!” “Is there an Urgi-Care center close by?” “Haven’t YOU had a rabies vaccine? I mean you live with all of those animals…” And my favorite, “This is why I never visit you.”
I was fairly certain Bat had not bitten me on his way from tree branch to ground. But I didn’t want Bat injured or any of the house pets to be bitten, so I ran to the garage for my go-to wild life rescue equipment – the cardboard box. Bat was still struggling to crawl and I felt guilty for knocking him out of his roost. In my defense, I had no idea bats roosted in trees. Plus, he looked a lot like a twisted dead leaf before he spread his wings and bared his fangs.
Placing the box on the ground in front of Bat, I encouraged him with another leafy branch to move forward. Once in the box I quickly closed the lid. Now what? Still no response from my niece, so I carried Bat-In-The-Box out further into the woods and slowly slid him out, onto a fallen tree. He flapped his wings, bared his impressive fangs, hissed what I am quite sure was “thank you” and then folded his wings tight to his body. Not sure what more I could do, I returned home to clean up the cut branches, keeping my cardboard box close at hand, just in case I discovered any more bats.
Laura returned my call and reassured me that I would most certainly know it if an angry hissing bat had flown at me and bit me! She also advised that Bat was most likely not injured. Bats must crawl up a tree to a certain height before they can fly. I had taken him to a perfect spot in the woods, close to tall trees where he could climb high enough to once again spread his wings in flight.
We often see bats flying at night over our pond, feasting on mosquitos. They emerge from their roosts or caves, swooping and gliding, relying on their senses to guide them. Bat reminds us to trust in our senses and follow our instincts. They show us how to live in harmony, as they do in their caves, sharing space with many others while respecting individual boundaries.
My favorite message from Bat is to look at the world from a different perspective, as he does, awakening from sleep hanging upside down and allowing his senses to guide his moonlit adventures.
White-nose Syndrome
The U.S. bat population is being threatened by White-nose Syndrome (WNS), a disease affecting hibernating bats. WNS is spreading across the country. The disease is named for the white fungus that infects skin of the muzzle, ears, and wings of hibernating bats. Infected bats also often display abnormal behaviors in their hibernation sites, such as movement toward the mouth of caves and daytime flights during winter. These activities cause the bats to quickly use up their stored fat reserves causing emaciation and death. It is estimated that the bat population has declined by approximately 80% since the emergence of WNS. Recovery is not expected quickly, as bats are long-lived and have only a single pup each year. Scientists continue to study WNS to determine its cause. Loss of the bat population may have significant ecological impacts as they consume significant amounts of harmful insects such as mosquitos.
Hallowe’en wouldn’t be the same without their winged silhouette in the sky.
Wondering what your furry friends may want to communicate to you? Contact Beth Cavalier for an animal communication or Reiki session with an email to: Bgcavalier@aol.com