What can I plant to help bats in my garden?

Flowers are vital for attracting bats' insect prey. Grow a wide range, as different plants attract different types of insect:

  • Plants with petals that form narrow tubes, such as honeysuckle, provide food for long-tongued insects like moths and butterflies
  • Open, daisy-like flowers with many florets provide nectar to short tongued insects including flies
  • Pale blue and white coloured flowers are easier to see in low light so will attract night flying insects
  • Don’t forget the landing platform. Wide blooms, like those in the carrot family, allow many insects to gather together at once
  • Native plants tend to support far more species of insect than hybrids or exotics

Planting night-scented flowers will help attract night-flying insects, which offer food to hungry bats. Some of the plants you might like to include are:

  • Cherry pie (Heliotropium arborescens)
  • Evening primrose (Oenothera biennis)
  • Honeysuckle (Lonicera periclymenum)
  • Night-scented catchfly (Silene noctiflora)
  • Night-scented stock (Matthiola bicornis)
  • Nottingham catchfly (Silene nutans)
  • Soapwort (Sapnoria officinalis)
  • Sweet rocket (Hesperis matronalis)
  • Tobacco plant (Nicotiana alata)
  • White jasmine (Jasminum officinale)

What else can I do to help bats in my garden?

Posted in: Bats on 07 May 2015


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