An evening bat seen in Jeff Davis County. Photo by Sam Kieschnick | iNaturalist
May 30, 2025
The Fort Worth Botanic Garden, a lush and shady 120-acre slice of nature hemmed in by concrete, cars and urban bustle, draws around 450,000 yearly visitors seeking a leafy refuge from the metropolitan din. Those folks come and go. But one group of visitors evidently likes the gardens so much they’ve been sneaking in after hours.
It turns out that the Botanic Garden is a haven for bats — not just one variety but five distinct species. They typically dive in for dinner after sunset, devouring insects that are drawn to the garden’s more than 2,500 plant species. In one night, a bat can eat its body weight in bugs, including those maddening mosquitos that can transmit disease and might otherwise feast on you.
The relatively wide array of bats makes the Fort Worth Botanic Garden the regional champion for hosting the world’s only mammal capable of sustained flight. A recent study found that the garden’s variety of bats is unmatched by other natural habitats in the DFW area. The cooperative survey by the Cross Timbers Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalists, the North American Bat Monitoring Program, and the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) examined bat populations at the Botanic Garden, the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge, Tandy Hills Natural Area and Lake Mineral Wells State Park. The garden’s five bat species blew away the other sites’ tallies of one or two species each.
Researchers detected the bats using specialized acoustic eavesdropping equipment that captures the animals’ high-frequency echolocations, expressed in squeaks and chirps. Those sounds help the bats find insects with remarkable speed and precision. The study was initiated in May 2024. Results of a follow-up survey, conducted in late May of this year, have yet to be released.
The Botanic Garden’s bats-in-residence are:
• Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis), known for achieving the highest horizontal speed in the animal kingdom: 99 miles per hour in level flight
• Evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis), which has a taste for beetles
• Tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus), noted for the three distinct color stripes on its back
• Eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis), characterized by dense fur and ruddy coloration
• Hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), featuring dark brown fur with white tipped hairs
BAT HANGOUT
Mexican free-tailed bats roost in a crevice in Snyder, Texas. Photo by Sam Kieschnick | iNaturalist.
What is it about the garden that these bats find so appealing?
“Fort Worth Botanic Garden grows a variety of both native and cultivated plants that attract various insects that lure the bats to this biodiverse green space,” said Ashley Bales, Herbarium Collections manager for BRIT (the Botanic Garden’s research arm). “Bats pollinate native plants with night blooms and pollinate more than 300 species of important crops. It’s likely the garden has some of the native plants they pollinate, but we haven’t studied their pollinating habits here yet to confirm.”
Bales added that certain spaces in the garden are especially ideal for attracting bats.
“The Vistas in the garden are a large open space adjacent to our wooded habitat. This area is particularly suited for bats to easily swoop through and grab insects, and then quench their thirst at the pond in the Rose Garden.”
The buffet of bugs that draws in the bats and makes for an ideal ecosystem is likely due in part to the garden’s emphasis on natural, biological pest control over chemical insecticides.
“Fort Worth Botanic Garden prioritizes sustainable, natural gardening approaches that work with nature rather than against it,” Bales said.
And although the garden’s “fundamental commitment is to organic and ecological gardening methods,” the targeted use of pesticides is occasionally required.
Like winter Texans, the bats are seasonal residents of the garden.
“Most of these species migrate to warmer areas in the wintertime, so they won’t be in DFW year-round,” Bales said, noting that the best time to see them is generally in “late spring into late summer, and even in early fall you can catch them migrating south.”
Bat houses, also known as bat boxes, are known to bring in house-hunting bats, but the Botanic Garden doesn’t currently have any. Bales said that’s because “the rich native woodland in the garden provides a good habitat” for the flapping creatures. However, with such natural environments in decline, she encourages bat-seeking homeowners to place bat houses in their own yard, and to establish practices and other features that the animals find alluring.
“Turn off the lights at night, provide a water source, create a bat house, keep cats indoors at night, plant native species, and avoid using harsh pesticides are just a few examples” of what residents can do to attract bats, she said.
ECO SERVICES
Despite their spooky reputation, bats tend to by shy and nonaggressive toward people. Only three of the 1,400 bat species worldwide are known to drink blood, none of those are in the U.S. and humans are rarely a target. Most bats are happy to provide pest-control services by feasting solely on insects (including harmful ones), and to act as important pollinators.
According to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s website, “Bats help spread seeds for nuts, figs and cacao — the main ingredient in chocolate. Without bats, we also wouldn’t have plants like agave or the iconic saguaro cactus.”
BAT PROTOCOL
Bats are unquestionably beneficial, but when observing them it’s best to keep your distance. Refrain from making loud noises, throwing objects or shining lights.
“They are safe and are more interested in their buggy food than you. Call your local wildlife professionals rather than handling bats with your bare hands,” Bales said.
Experts also advise avoiding places where bats are hibernating.
Some bat species are threatened, like the Botanic Garden’s tricolored bat, which is plagued by white nose syndrome and is under consideration for placement on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s endangered species list. Overall, though, the bats’ future at the garden looks bright. “With the recent results from last year’s monitoring, we plan to learn more about the species living here and how to provide an even better habitat for them in the Garden,” Bales said.
RESOURCES
The Weatherford-based nonprofit operates the world's largest facility dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of bats. Their site has helpful information and lists a contact number to call if you’ve found a bat. Do not touch a bat with your bare hands or attempt to rehab one on your own, the site advises, for your own safety as well as the bat's.
• Bat Conservation International
The Austin-based nonprofit is comprised of conservationists and scientists dedicated to saving the world's bats.
• Nature’s Edge Wildlife and Reptile Rescue
The Cleburne-based nonprofit is another DFW bat rehabber, per the TPWD wildlife rehabilitator locater.
Texas Parks and Wildlife lists of 12 popular bat viewing locations, primarily in Southwest to Southeast Texas, near San Antonio, Austin and Houston.
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Author
JOHN KENT
John Kent is a Fort Worth-based freelance writer and former staff writer for the Albuquerque Journal. He has also written stories for the Associated Press, Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Business Press and the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. You can reach him at [email protected].
