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Baby Bat Night
🎶 "'I', said the little leatherwing bat
I'll tell to you the reason that
The reason that I fly by night
Is because I've lost my heart's delight.
Howdy dowdy diddle-dum day
Hey le lee-lee lie-lee low"
~ Leather-winged Bat, Traditional folk song
Across cultures, bats have always stood at the threshold between worlds—symbols of darkness and death in some traditions, yet of joy, blessing, or even divine protection in others. From European folklore that linked them to witchcraft and vampires, to Chinese art where they embody happiness and fortune, to Native American and Pacific stories where they serve as tricksters, guides, or ancestral spirits, bats remain creatures of the in-between. Their mystery and adaptability make them endlessly fascinating to humans everywhere, especially as they are the only mammals capable of true, sustained flight!
That same spirit of mystery is woven into this handsome and batty tartan, with its threads of deep twilight blue marking their imminent appearance, the warm brown of a little bat’s woolly fur, and the stark black of night sky.
Although Halloween season is when bats most come to mind, in actuality, late summer is the end of bat maternity season and a time when summer skies fill with young bats taking their very first flights! Contrary to the old saying, bats are not blind. In fact, many rely heavily on their eyesight—sometimes even more than echolocation—when navigating and hunting. Fruit bats, which feast on nectar, don’t echolocate at all; instead, they have extraordinary vision and can even perceive ultraviolet light!
Among the more than 1,300 bat species worldwide, many are indispensable allies to humans, devouring thousands of insects in a single night. When closing in on their prey, bats blend keen eyesight with echolocation, sending out rapid, high-pitched calls that quicken into a distinctive “feeding buzz.” Flap on, little bats! 💙 🖤 🤎 🦇 🦇 🦇
International Bat Night serves to raise awareness of these flying rodents and the role they play in nature.
While others can glide, bats are the only mammals capable of continued flight.
There are 1,100 species of bats worldwide, making up a quarter of the world’s mammals. There are 40 species of bats in the United States alone!
Most bats are insectivores or even feed on fruit or fish. There only three species of "vampire" bats which feed exclusively on blood. Bats that use echolocation (usually insect-eating bats) can find their food in total darkness. They locate insects by emitting inaudible high-pitched sounds, 10-20 beeps per second and listening to echoes.
By designer Carol A.L. Martin, this tartan is "named after one of the most common bats in North America. They eat their share of mosquitoes and midges, etc. and are, therefore, very beneficial. I have always been fascinated by these creatures. In addition, I have always liked brown and black combinations. Here the grey represents the underneath of the bats' wings, and dark blue, the night sky."
For more fascinating facts about bats, click the little brown bat!