An evening bat seen in Jeff Davis County. Photo by Sam Kieschnick | iNaturalist
The Fort Worth Botanic Garden, a lush and shady 120-acre slice of nature hemmed in by concrete, cars and urban bustle, draws around 250,000 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…