Members of the City of Dublin 'Green Team' use their green thumbs to  plant the night garden.  - Photo courtesy of Michelle (Mime) Migliore, Nature Education Coordinator for City of Dublin.

The City of Dublin, Ohio, has a new addition to the local landscape: a night garden.  Thanks to the local volunteer learn-and-serve 'Green Team', the city now has a space planted specifically for their nocturnal animal neighbors, including bats. 

Going beyond picking up trash in parks or planting wildflowers, this group is geared towards learning considerably more about natural resources in Ohio in order become good stewards of the environment in Dublin. 

Karyn Allman from the Reynoldsburg, Ohio, Ecological Services Field Office was asked to give a talk to the group about the bats of Ohio before they began planting the garden.  After months of focusing on education presentations for school age kids, it was a welcomed challenge for Allman to stand up in front of a group of adults and impart her knowledge of these often misunderstood animals. 

Allman provided information on the differences between the various species of bats found in Ohio, discussed on-going issues with the Federally-listed Indiana bat, and talked about current survey methods.  After an in-depth question and answer session, a bat detector was taken outside in search of foraging bats near the building parking lot. 

The following Saturday, the group, plus their families and friends, got down to work and planted more than 300 perennials in the night garden.  The garden design and plants were obtained with help from the City of Dublin horticulturalist.  

The Reynoldsburg Field Office looks forward to partnering again with this group and support their efforts to strengthen their connection to the environment.