It’s 2015, and if you’re still afraid of bats, you might want to retrain your night sight. On July 11, after the sun goes down, The Cradle of Forestry in Pisgah Forest will host a “Winged Creatures of the Night” twilight tour, a chance to explore moths, bats, and owls – mysterious animals that only make an appearance after human lights go out.
Busting bat myths is important, because half of the types living in America are endangered or threatened. Worldwide, there are more than 1,000 kinds of bats, and a whopping majority of them eat bugs, fruit, and pollen (instead of sucking blood). They groom themselves like cats, and females nurse their young, just like any other mammal. They don’t fly into hair (they see far too well for that), and they have less chance of carrying rabies than a domestic animal.
Moths, in general, are less controversial. They still have a long way to go to be as appreciated as butterflies, but to the close observer, these gorgeously patterned insects offer lots to look at. “Leave a porch light on and most of the giant silkworm moths of the eastern U.S. can be viewed. Enjoy them when you see them, and revel in their truly ephemeral beauty – here tonight, gone tomorrow,” opines a passage on Ashevillenatural.com
As for the vastly underrated owl, well … actually, we don’t know anyone who doesn’t like owls. But it’s still cool to learn more about them.
Visit Cradleofforestry.com to learn more.
