Bats, ash, and garlic

Less than 1/10 of 1% of bats are believed to carry rabies.”

– Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife

What’s happening in autumn? Some animals migrate or hibernate, deciduous leaves change color and fall, winter crops are planted. 

Winged mammals 

Bats are hard to notice, but they are here. Their DNA is much closer to humans than rodents. They have the same bone structure as we do, just different proportions. They have arms and hands and even thumbs.

Oregon has 15 kinds of bats. All of Oregon’s bats only eat bugs. There are three that are common in the willamette valley: The hoary bat, the silver-haired bat, and the Townsend’s big-eared bat. The hoary bat is the largest with a wingspan of 16 inches. 

These flying mammals can move at 20-30 miles per hour and farther than 100 miles during the night. 

Bats are pollinators and fertilizers and are credited for saving farmers billions of dollars a year. One bat can eat 1,000 insects an hour. Vineyards put up bat houses in order to avoid or reduce the use of chemical pesticides.

When insects thin out going into winter, bats need to decide if they are going to hibernate or migrate to a warmer climate. Some go into a low-energy setting for a few hours, but it can last a month or even six months for some bats. They find a safe place and power down and wait for warmer weather with lots of insects to eat. 

If a bat gets inside your house, open all exits and get everyone out of the house, including pets, and wait for the bat to fly out of the house. Less than 1/10 of 1% of bats are believed to carry rabies (source: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife). Nevertheless, avoid contact. 

Oregon Ash tree

There is one ash tree native to Oregon and it’s called the Oregon ash or Fraxinus latifolia. This tree is happiest in full sun while being close to water. Animals see food in this tree and humans see axe handles, oars, and baseball bats. Bats see a place to rest. This tree turns gold, red, orange, and purple in autumn. 

The Cowlitz tribe use the wood to make canoe paddles and digging sticks.

The willamette valley is full of ash trees. They have seed pods that are shaped like canoes. They spin down in the air to the water and float until they find a place to take root. Squirrels, birds, and waterfowl eat the seeds. Deer and elk feed on the leaves.

This tree does very well in sodden soil with poor drainage and is totally fine staying wet for months. It is also tolerant rooted in banks of clay.

Popular folklore about ash trees is that rattlesnakes will not cross a branch of ash or live near one. This has not been scientifically proven.

Garlic

It’s time to plant garlic. Start it in the ground between September and November. It will develop during the winter and send up shoots in the spring. It can be planted in the spring, but the cloves won’t get as large as a fall planting. Garlic needs several weeks of cold weather. Once situated in soil that can drain, has sunlight, and good mulch, and a topping of old hay, it’s very low maintenance. It should do fine without watering. 

Since garlic came onto the scene some 5,000 years ago, a favorite of Egyptians, it has been used for a long list of remedies and protection. Generally it was thought to improve strength and courage, and to chase away a wide variety of threats and spooks. 

The Cleveland Clinic lists benefits of garlic for both internal and external use. It can boost immunity, reduce inflammation, improve heart health, increase skin and hair vitality, and treat athlete’s foot.

“A nickel will get you on the subway, but garlic will get you a seat.” -Yiddish proverb.

Synchronize with this season. Start a garlic patch. Put up a bat house. Wave at an ash tree- they are everywhere. 

[This article is in Take Root Magazine Fall 2021.]