Evening Primrose – A favorite among Bats!
By Susu Fiske, Inland Bays Garden Center | Special to the Coastal Point Oct 17, 2024
Since October is Bat Month, I thought I would honor them by writing about a plant that they love for its nectar and that they help pollinate. Providing native plants for bats is just as important as doing so for our native insects. Without these pollinators, nothing would survive. Bats are especially important because they can deposit more pollen and travel greater distances.
They have a fragrant evening scent to attract the bats and a large bell-shaped flower that bats need so they can reach the pollen. This fragrance in the evening makes oenothera a flower that I plant near windows and outdoor seating to enhance the ambience and outdoor experience. The flowers open first in the evening and perfume the night, but they tend to close as the sun heats up. They are also a favorite of sphinx moths, which can detect their fragrance from quite a distance.
This amazing ground cover will start in March with an abundance of pale pink blooms (which shine beautifully in the moonlight). They are drought-tolerant, partial shade-tolerant and tolerant of our various soils. They do tend to go dormant when our area is at its worst with humidity and heat. (Don’t we all!) This primrose works well in naturalized, pollinator and meadow-style gardens. The oenothera is a great ecological choice for sustainable landscaping.
