Halloween – time to love bats

Nature lovers can help bats beat the bad press they get at Halloween by popping in to see us during Wild About Gardens Week, which takes place from October 24 until 30 and is a joint initiative by the RHS, The Wildlife Trusts and the Bat Conservation Trust.

This year’s Wild About Gardens Week has a special focus on bats, which we think are animals that are often overlooked due to them having a connotation of being scary and linked with Halloween and therefore need our help. These interesting and elusive creatures need protecting and can be a gardener’s best friend.

Many of our common species, including bats, hedgehogs, house sparrows and common frogs, are becoming much less common so by getting involved with this special week and doing what we can to encourage all sorts of wildlife into our gardens, we’ll be helping to make a real difference.

Bats are predators of insects, some of which are garden pests or nuisances, such as mosquitoes. They are also recognised biodiversity indicators. Their presence is an indication of a healthy, insect-rich environment.

There are 17 species of bats in Britain. The most common in British gardens are the pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle, the brown long-eared bat, noctule and the Daubenton’s bat.

All bats in Britain are legally protected. This protection extends to the places where bats are roosting or hibernating.

During the week we’ll be offering advice to all our customers on how they can make their gardens more bat friendly. You can start with increasing the bat’s food supply by having garden features such as compost heaps and ponds, which generate the types of insects bats like.

Growing white or pale flowers in the garden is a great way of also attracting moths and other night-flying insects that bats enjoy. We have beautiful white mini cyclamen in stock at the moment along with white pansies and viola.

Bat boxes can be placed on tree trunks or on walls of buildings to provide shelter for bats.

You are welcome to pop in during the week for any help and advice from our expert team.

We have a range of bat boxes in stock and can advise anyone interested in placing bat boxes in their garden.