Two species of yellow bats roost in the skirts of Austin’s palm trees—northern yellow bats and southern yellow bats.

Watching them fly out at night from your palm tree is a natural wonder. The skirt is valuable habitat for a variety of other wildlife too, including over 20 species of birds.

They all love this habitat because they can roost out of the sight of predators, which means they won’t be easily seen by humans either. Please be aware that yellow bats give birth in these skirts and will be nursing non-flying pups from mid-May through August.

Tree work that involves the skirt of the palm tree will injure or kill bats, and orphan the non-flying pups if their mother is scared away by her roost being demolished. Bats feel safe in palm fronds and generally will not flush at signs of danger. BIRDS BOLT—BATS DON’T. They are deep sleepers (even on warm summer days) and, on top of that, will be in torpor during the winter, even during warm spells, due to short days and low light levels.

Please don’t let bats become injured. It’s a tragedy for them and can be traumatic for your family.

Native palms such as our sabal palms and Mexican fan palms stand up very well to wind events, and giving them a “Hurricane Cut” (living fronds but no skirt) does not make them any more resistant to storms.

That cut can, however, allow for an easier introduction of disease. The long skirt of old fronds also acts to insulate the trunk of a palm against freeze events such as that caused by the February 2021 Polar Vortex.

Make your palm tree a bat refuge. We are always looking for good release sites, and by being careful with your palm, you can become a yellow bat advocate.

By spreading the word, you can also help change the aesthetic. Palm trees don’t look right without a skirt. We call that the “Strip Club Cut”! You can also lobby your homeowners association to not require pruning of palm trees.

Ask your apartment managers to leave the skirt of palm trees on the property for wildlife habitat. Keep an eye out for grounded bats if tree work is done around your residence.

Spread the word to professional organizations such as Property Management Associations, Apartment Manager Associations, Arborist Associations, Real Estate companies, and especially to The Guy With a Pickup Truck.

Praise the City of Austin Public Works, Watershed Protection, and Parks and Recreation for agreeing to care for bats when maintaining palms.

If you’d like to volunteer a palm tree on your property to be a rehoming site for displaced bats, please contact us.