October 2026 Plant Availability | | |
Greetings ,
It’s a busy time of year, with lots coming up at the nursery!
First, be sure to check out the Xerces Society’s “Meet the Nurseries” video, here. If you’ve received a California Habitat Kit in the last few years, chances are, plants we grew made it to you!
Also, plenty of fun approaching for Bringing Back the Natives Extravaganzas–this month we’re hosting a panel (flyer below). If you’ve ever struggled with the verge, the hellstrip, or a parking area planting, this is the talk for you!
| | Happy Bat Appreciation Month! | | |
If I mention bats, what comes to mind? For many, these nocturnal mammals are associated with one of two things: Spooky fang-bearing critters intent on sucking your blood on Halloween, or headlines about emerging infectious diseases like rabies. Eeek! Historically, bats have been feared, primarily because of their elusive nocturnal behavior, unusual appearance, and potential to carry zoonotic diseases. By working the nightshift, these ‘sweet sky puppies’ (see the Canyon Bat, or Parastrellus hesperus, above) as we’d like to call them may be out of sight, out of mind, but they’re performing a world of good for the health of our natural ecosystems.
Bats are pollinators, seed dispersers, and help keep pest insect populations in check. They are among the world’s most abundant, diverse, and geographically dispersed mammals. The vast majority of California’s 25 native bat species are strictly insectivores, which consume a large number of insects daily to fuel their high energy lifestyle (you would be voracious, too, if you were flying 2 to 4 hours a night!)
Bats also provide a whole host of ecosystem services that humans depend on such as pest control, fertilizing soils, pollinating crops. For instance, it is estimated that bats save U.S farmers ~$23 billion annually in pesticides and crop damage by eating insects such as moths, flies, wasps, and mosquitoes. Many bats eat half their body weight in insects every single night, while pregnant and nursing females can consume about the equivalent of their weight. A single colony of Mexican free-tailed bats can eat at least 500 pounds of insects nightly!
Unfortunately many species of bats are in decline due to threats of disease, light pollution, wind farms, habitat destruction, pesticide use, and climate change. While bats have a long life span (up to 40 years) they typically raise just one pup a year. This low birth rate makes their populations especially vulnerable to habitat disruption. And while it is true that bats can carry zoonotic diseases, the vast majority of bats are healthy, and avoid contact with humans. Protecting bat habitat is one of the many vital steps to keep bats healthy and prevent negative inter-species interactions.
Here are some steps you can take to support our bat neighbors:
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Provide suitable habitat: Plant native plants, which provide roosting habitat and food for invertebrates, which in turn, feed bats. The Northern Hoary Bat, pictured to the right, feeds primarily on moths. We’ve listed a few bat-favorite native plant species below!
Dead trees/snags can provide habitat as well, so be sure to check for roosting pups before a major pruning job. Bat houses are another option, which mimic the natural hollows in trees that bats love.
Keep cats indoors–in addition to killing over 1 billion birds annually, outdoor cats will also go after bats. On a leash or indoors will be healthier for them, birds, and bats.
Ditch the pesticides: Avoid harming our nighttime allies by reducing the use of pesticides, which can impact their food-source, or poison them indirectly.
Water: Bats need water, both for drinking, and to attract their insect prey. Because bats drink while in flight, they need a waterway to be at least 7-10 feet long. A pond or large trough can work well, with an exit ramp in case a critter falls in. Bats also need a clear path to the water, so keep vegetation and other clutter from obscuring their flight path.
Light: Excessive light at night can disrupt bats’ feeding patterns. Consider changing outdoor lights to be motion-activated, or use low-intensity, red-colored bulbs.
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Did you know? California is home to many superlative bat species:
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Mexican Free-tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis), below, the fastest bat on Earth, reaching speeds of over 99 miles per hour, and capable of flying at altitudes around 3,300 m (10,800 ft). This species also forms the largest mammal colonies in the world.
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Western Mastiff Bat (Eumops perotis), the largest bat in the U.S and North America, with a wingspan approaching two feet.
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Canyon Bat (Parastrellus hesperus), the smallest bat in the U.S. The canyon bat weighs less than four grams, little more than a penny.
- And, of course, the Pallid Bat (Antrozous pallidus), the state bat of California (pictured right). One of the few omnivorous bats in the world, their golden fur, immunity to scorpion venom (one of their favorite meals), and toothy ‘smile’ all make them a star ambassador of the Golden State.
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Palmer’s Abutilon
Abutilon palmeri
Available in D-16, and 1-gallon pots for $8.20-16.30 apiece!
- This plant attracts a diverse number of insects that are especially vital to ‘gleaning’ bat species such as the California Leaf-nosed Bat (Macrotus californicus), which feed straight from the ground or foliage instead of in-flight.
- This 3 ft tall and wide perennial has thick stems that often creep along the ground covered with white soft woolly hairs.
- The lavender to magenta pink flowers resemble a cluster of stars, and bloom in the spring and summer.
- An important food source for Monarch caterpillars early in the year before many of the other California native milkweeds emerge from dormancy.
- This summer semi-deciduous milkweed is a great option for planting in containers, as well as in bird and butterfly gardens.
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Hooker’s Evening Primrose
Oenothera elata ssp. hookeri
Available in 4″ pots for $8.50 apiece!
- Evening Primrose blooms are open at night, attracting moths, which make up the majority of the Northern Hoary Bat’s diet.
- A highly adaptable deciduous perennial that will vigorously reseed in the right conditions.
- It is tolerant of drought (and a moderate amount of snow).
- The large (2.5 – 3″) lovely yellow flowers bloom late Spring through mid Summer. The tall flower stalks with attract lined sphinx moth as well as other moths at night.
- The seeds attract goldfinch.
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Common Aster
Symphyotrichum chilense
Available in D-16 pots for $8.20 apiece!
- A critical late-season food-source for the insects that bats depend on before migrating south or hibernating in the winter.
- This perennial grows to 1 to 3 feet tall and makes a flower bed come alive in late summer through fall, especially when planted with California fuchsia and California goldenrod.
- It spreads by rhizomes, likes moist soil but can also go without summer water, and is common on coastal grasslands and marshes. Seeds are favorites of several birds, and fluff is used as nesting material for hummingbirds.
- California Aster can be cut to the ground after flowering in the fall and it will reappear late winter. A good habitat plant, native moths and butterflies use this plant as a nectar source and larval host.
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Virgin’s Bower
Clematis ligusticifolia
Available in D-16, TB2, and D-40 pots, 25-50% off, for $4.10-6.15 apiece!
- Another nighttime bloomer, this species is a ‘moth magnet’, creating a nighttime bat buffet!
- Virgin’s bower is an undemanding deciduous vine that can readily cover a dark fence or wall, or just trail through the nearby shrubs and trees in the garden.
- This plant occurs naturally along streams, so plant in a wet place or irrigate in the garden. The flowers are white to off-white and are borne in large clusters.
- This species’ traditional name, Pepper Vine, referred to the acrid, peppery taste of the stems and leaves, which Native Americans have chewed as a remedy for colds and sore throats. A poultice of mashed, moistened leaves was applied to severe burns.
- Seed floss makes excellent tinder for starting fires.
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Valley Oak
Quercus lobata
Available in D-40 and 4-gallon pots, up to 75% off, for $3.08-48.00 each!
- The premier habitat plant for woodland-adapted bats, this species provides roosting homes and rich hunting grounds.
- A deciduous tree that grows to 70′. Space 40′ apart.
- Grows into the largest of North American oaks. It is also the fastest growing of our California Oaks, it can grow to 20′ in 5 years.
- William Henry Brewer, chief botanist for the first California Geological Survey wrote “Some of these oaks were noble ones indeed. How I wish one stood in our yard at home.”
- Valley oaks are tolerant of weeds or lawn under them. Deer will brows so protect when young.
- If you plant a young one in a lawn area they will flourish but do not plant a lawn under an old one.
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Soap Plant
Chlorogalum pomeridianum
Available in D-16, D-40, and 1-gallon pots for $9.60-17.70 each!
- These nocturnal bloomers attract night-time pollinators such as hawk/sphinx moths which bats relish as a protein-rich treat.
- This easy-to-grow bulb plant has 2 foot tall spikes of small white flowers that bloom from May-August. Space 2 feet apart.
- It is a superb plant for evening flowers since the flowers only open late in the day or when it is very overcast.
- For a dramatic effect, plant in a meadow garden where it will go dormant during summer and fall.
- Bulbs have been an important food source for Native Americans and may be eaten when roasted.
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Blue Elderberry
Sambucus nigra ssp. caerulea
Available in D-40 pots for $12.30 apiece!
- An exceptional food-source of insects, potential shelter within its hollow wood for roosting, and physical cover to hide from predators.
- A deciduous shrub to small tree that grows to 15 feet tall.
- The attractive light green foliage and large clusters of fragrant creamy white flowers appearing abundantly in spring and early summer. Edible fruits attract birds towards the end of summer.
- Its berries are also, excellent in jelly, pie or for making elderberry wine.
- While this tree is deciduous it comes out into leaf very early in the spring and drops its leaves late in the fall, so that it is only bare for a short time.
- Pruning helps keeps its shape.
- Previously named Sambucus mexicana
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Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Available in D-16 pots for $8.20 apiece!
- Attractive to low flying bats such as the California Myotis (Myotis californicus), which will appreciate the multitude of night-flying insects this plant entices.
- This Semi-evergreen herbaceous perennial grows 1-3 ft tall and is a perfect choice for growing in a meadow garden.
- The ferny foliage will stay green all year with some summer water and the white umbels make good cut flowers.
- Yarrow spreads by rhizomes, a characteristic of a good slope stabilizer. Also, Checkerspot butterflies are attracted to this plant.
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Happy Bat Appreciation Month from all of us at
The Watershed Nursery Cooperative!
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(510) 234-2222 | sales@thewatershednursery.com
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Closed Mondays & Holidays
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