Virginia’s records for this bat follow wooded river corridors, from the forested Potomac peninsula at Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge to the Piedmont wildlife management areas and wooded stretches of the James River. All three settings share the mature, streamside trees this bat depends on, since it roosts under loose bark and in cavities rather than gathering in caves.
Unlike colonial cave bats, this species usually roosts alone or in small groups, tucked beneath a slab of loose bark on a dying tree. At night it flies low and unhurried over forest openings and water margins, hunting moths, beetles, and flies rather than racing through open sky. That slower, more maneuverable style suits Virginia’s cluttered streamside forest edges well.
October is by far Virginia’s busiest month for this bat, with a smaller rise again in April. Those two spikes line up with the species’ long-distance seasonal movements, fall migration heading south and spring migration heading back north, rather than a resident population that’s equally active all year.
Full species profile
