Bat Appreciation Month in Louisville, KY

Celebrating Bat Appreciation Month with a look at three bats that call Kentucky their home.

A bat hangs upside down on a leafy bow, wings slightly folded.

The big brown bat can be found as far south as Venezuela.

Photo via Pexels

It’s Bat Appreciation Month, or as we like to call it — Bat-ober. Bats’ affinity for bug cuisine makes them a natural pesticide and they save the agricultural industry billions of dollars each year in pesticides.

There are 15 bats that call Kentucky their home, but let’s take a look at just a few of the bats that can be found near the Derby City:

🦇 Big brown bat | Among the largest of Kentucky’s bats, these big browns average at four to five inches in length and can eat a third of its weight in one night.

🦇Eastern small-footed bat | Like its name suggests, this bat is among the smallest of its region. It’s also relatively rare and can be identified by its black ears and muzzle.

🦇Evening bat | These beetle-eating bats coexist well with humans and their appetite for Japanese beetles can save your garden from infestation.

Bonus: Flap over to the Kentucky Bat Festival on Sat., Oct. 22.

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