Haiku and Bat

from inside the earth
rebirth  transitioning  death
answers with echoes

It’s Bat Appreciation Day…a reminder of how vital they are to ecosystems everywhere.  Insect control, pollination, and seed dispersal are all important ways that bats help keep the earth in balance.  Many bat populations are endangered for the usual reasons:  habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting, disease, use of chemicals.

Bats play an important part in story and myth as well.  Because they often live in caves and come out at dusk, bats are associated with the ambiguity of night.  Western culture tends to give bats an evil shading (think vampires and the wings of devils), but many Asian and Native American cultures associate them with good luck.

Today also marks the celebration of Haiku Poetry Day.  How do I know this?  Charlie at Doodlewash is sponsoring a month of celebratory days, and he made sure I knew about Haiku Poetry Day for NaPoWriMo.

You can see previous bat posts here and here.
And learn more about bats and bat conservation efforts here.