Bat reduction could make food cost more $$$$

Mexican Freetail bats

BATS SAVE US MONEY.  Pest control provided by bats save American agriculture as much as $53 billion a year, according to U.S.G.S. analysis. The flip side of that is: if our native bats didn't provide this service for free, our groceries would certainly cost a lot more.

On a cautionary note, there could be noticeable economic losses (and higher food costs) in the next 4 or 5 years as a result of threats to bat populations, including loss of habitat. Reason: bats eat a tremendous quantity of flying insects that would otherwise ruin crops

Red Yucca

A favorite plant in north Texas is the Red Yucca. Not only because it's colorful and relatively disease-free, also because its appearance is uniquely "Texan" - it looks like it should be growing in the wild west. Actually, it did!

It grew here naturally before the west was "tamed". It still does, in some small areas. But it's often used in landscapes with terrible soil in full sun. It requires almost no care, and lives through drought and temperatures of over 100.