Prairie Night Walk: Bats and Biofluorescence

Join Friends of Rouge Park, Belle Isle Nature Center and Joseph Ferraro on Wednesday, August 19 from 8-10pm for a special, free, evening adventure in the Rouge Park prairie!

Belle Isle Nature Center (Detroit Zoological Society) - will uncover the mystery of bats and bring their special bat detector tools called Echo Meters! These Echo Meters will allow us to 'hear', identify and record the otherwise inaudible ultrasonic calls of the bats.

Joseph Ferraro, a local conservation macro and wildlife photographer, will lead the UV light section of the prairie night walk. We'll switch on special UV flashlights to search the prairie for invertebrates, lichens, fungi, and even the chlorophyll of the plants themselves, all of which can fluoresce in surprising ways under UV light.

Schedule:

8-9p: lets learn about bats and Biofluorescence!

9-10p: Prairie walk

Accessibility Information: We will be walking on mostly even, unpaved ground. We will be walking at a slow pace with an option to make a loop of up to 0.5 miles. Those who want to walk less can definitely stay by the entrance and still see a bunch of cool critters. Make sure to wear comfortable close-toed walking shoes and long pants. You might consider bringing bug spray to repel mosquitos and ticks (did you know bats eat mosquitos?). A flashlight with a red light option is recommended for safe walking between UV stops, since red light preserves night vision better than white light. There is no bathroom on site so make sure to plan accordingly. Street parking available on Outer Dr.

**Event cover photo credit to Joseph Ferraro**

Please contact [email protected] with any questions or concerns.

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