Our newest arboretum feature can be found high above the ground at Jeffery Mansion meadow.- A bat house.
There was an oak scheduled for complete removal, but we had a change in heart. Tree spars like this provide important habitat and food to a plethora of native animals, including our resident pileated woodpeckers living in Jeffery woods. Allowing this spar to remain replicates aspects of old growth forests.
Habitat like this is generally removed in urbanized areas, we are excited to experiment with this spar and monitoring it in this green space. Bats can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes an hour! They are a natural way to mitigate annoying pests which sometimes carry harmful diseases. Win- Win? I wonder what other animals we will observe utilizing the remains of this old oak.
Parks arborist Spencer Martin attaches the new bat house to the top of an oak spar.