Indiana
Indiana’s bats are emerging from hibernation. Here’s why that’s a good thing
UV light may be key to fighting White-nose syndrome
A deadly bat disease continues to spread across Wisconsin, exacting what a Department of Natural Resources official described as a “catastrophic” toll on the state’s cave-dwelling bats. Now, University of Wisconsin researchers think the fungus-killing properties of ultra-violet light, may aid their fight.
Wochit
Bats across Indiana are waking from hibernation and moving out of their caves in search of food.
These flying mammals play a vital role in Indiana’s ecosystem and even its economy. Feeding on beetles, mosquitoes and moths, a single bat can eat half its body weight in insects each night, benefitting Hoosiers out for an evening stroll as well as farmers plagued with pests.
Benefits of Indiana’s bats
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources estimates bats save the country’s agriculture industry more than $3.7 billion each year by acting as a natural pesticide. Not only do they protect plants, but bats help propagate them. The bats in the state pollinate plants and spread seeds, helping sustain a diverse ecosystem.
The state is home to 13 bat species, some hanging around in trees while others finding caves and mines for shelter. Most cave bats in Indiana are listed as state endangered animal and face unprecedented death rates due to white nose syndrome. A majority of Indiana’s migratory tree bats are species of special concern.
What cave-dwelling bats are found in Indiana?
Big brown bat: One of the healthiest populations of bats in the state, big browns primarily roost in trees and structures during the winter and find caves, mines and other structures during the winter. These bats feed on insects and have an impressive 13-inch wingspan. (More: animaldiversity.org/accounts/Eptesicus_fuscus)
Gray bat: Listed as a federal and state endangered species, gray bats find summer and winter roosts in caves and mines. The greatest disturbance for these bats are humans disturbing hibernating colonies. (More: animaldiversity.org/accounts/Myotis_grisescens)
Indiana bat: The first recorded Indiana bat was found in the state’s Wyandotte Cave. They’re listed as federal and state endangered, and in the summer roost in trees, and search for caves and mines in the winter. Habitat loss is one of the biggest threats to the species. (More: animaldiversity.org/accounts/Myotis_sodalis)
Little brown bat: These state endangered bats prefer three roosts: day, night and hibernation. These roosts vary depending on the ambient temperature and include anything from buildings and trees to under rocks and in piles of wood. (More: animaldiversity.org/accounts/Myotis_lucifugus)
Northern long-eared bat: These bats are listed as endangered in Indiana and face habitat loss due to timber harvesting. Insecticides are also affecting the food supply. These bats can be found roosting in trees during the summer and caves in the winter. (More: animaldiversity.org/accounts/Myotis_septentrionalis)
Tri-colored bat (pipistrelle): Heavily affected by white-nose syndrome, these bats are listed as a state endangered species. While the individual hairs on these bats are tri-colored, they mostly appear dark yellow. Tri-colored bats roost in trees in the summer and in caves during winter. (More: animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pipistrellus_subflavus)
How has white-nose syndrome affected Indiana’s bats?
In 2009, the year before white-nose syndrome was discovered in the state, biologists counted about 220,315 hibernating bats. By 2020, that number dropped about 17% due to the disease.
Tri-colored bats saw the greatest death rate in that time frame, dropping from a population of 1,163 to only about 100. Little brown bat populations declined 89%, big brown bats dropped 47%, and Indiana bats saw the smallest effects, dropping 15%.
Latest research: White-nose syndrome is killing Indiana bats. Colder caves might save the vital bug eaters
Here’s how to help Indiana’s bats
Installing bat boxes can help provide emergency shelters for bats that might need them when proper roosts are unavailable. Planting pollinator gardens are also going to help bat populations, as they support native insects that help sustain bat populations.
Karl Schneider is an IndyStar environment reporter. You can reach him at karl.schneider@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @karlstartswithk
IndyStar’s environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.
(The REPORTER) — The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, June 10, regarding a proposed corridor improvement project on State Road 32 in Hamilton County.
The hearing will provide an opportunity for the public to interact with the project team, review the features of the proposed roundabout project, and provide official public comment. Project documents are available for review at improvetomove32.com.
The project area is between East Street in Westfield and River Road in Noblesville. The proposed project includes adding lanes to accommodate two lanes in each direction, removing all traffic signals within the project limits, and constructing roundabouts at the following intersections with SR 32:
- Carey Road/Grassy Branch Road
- Gunther Boulevard
- Shady Nook Road
- Moontown Road/Gray Road
- Pebble Brook Boulevard
- Hazel Dell Road/Little Chicago Road
- Mill Creek Road
The hearing will take place at Prairie Waters Event Center, 4180 Westfield Road, Westfield. Doors will open at 5 p.m. to allow the public to view displays and talk with the project team. A presentation will be given at 5:30 p.m., with a public comment session held directly after. INDOT is offering livestreams of all public meetings and hearings. You must register here in order to participate in the livestream. Livestream audience comments will only be accepted in written electronic form, not verbally. A recording of the livestream presentation will be posted on the project webpage and INDOT YouTube page after the hearing and will be available for at least 90 days.
All verbal statements recorded during the public hearing and all written comments submitted prior to, during and for a period of two weeks following the hearing date, will be evaluated, considered, and addressed in subsequent environmental documentation.
Written comments may be submitted within the comment period to Nick Batta, CMT, 8790 Purdue Road, Indianapolis, IN 46268; or sent via email to SR32HamiltonCounty@cmtengr.com.
INDOT respectfully requests comments be submitted by June 26.
A beloved tradition is drawing stitchers, shoppers, and curious newcomers across the region.
If you have ever walked into a quilt shop “just to look,” you already know how that story ends. One minute you are admiring a cheerful stack of fabric with names like sunflower, buttercream, and cardinal red, and the next you are seriously considering whether your house has room for a new table runner, a holiday wall hanging, and perhaps a life-changing bundle of fat quarters. Quilt shops have that effect. They are part treasure hunt, part therapy session, part color explosion, and in Southeastern Indiana, they are also some of the friendliest gathering places around.
That is especially true during the ALL INDIANA SHOP HOP, the statewide sewing and quilting event running through June 30, 2026.
The idea is delightfully simple: visit participating quilt shops, collect passport stamps, pick up thank-you gifts, and become eligible for prizes. The official event even describes it as a quilting version of a bar crawl, only with less late-night regret and more batting, bobbins, and beautiful fabric. There is even a youth passport for ages 8 to 17, which is a nice reminder that quilting is not just a pastime handed down from grandparents. It is also being discovered by a new generation who like making things by hand, repurposing fabric to help the environment, learning skills online, and sharing their creations proudly.
And really, quilting has everything going for it. It is practical, creative, social, and just a little bit magical.
A quilt can be a baby gift, a comfort during a hard season, a graduation present, a family heirloom, or simply a way to make a couch look much more put together than the people sitting on it. Quilters are surgeons with rotary cutters, artists with thread, and storytellers with fabric. They notice pattern, texture, memory, and meaning. Even non-quilters tend to fall under the spell. You do not need to know how to piece a block to appreciate the patience, skill, and imagination it takes to turn small shapes into something that warms both the room and the people in it.
That is one reason local quilt shops matter so much.
Yes, they sell fabric, books, notions, patterns, batting, and tools that can make a beginner feel both excited and slightly underqualified. But they also do something online shopping cannot: they welcome people in. Good quilt shops are places where somebody will help you match prints, explain what on earth a layer cake is, admire your progress, and gently steer you away from a fabric choice you may regret in broad daylight. They are equal parts classroom, clubhouse, and creative headquarters.
Southeastern Indiana is lucky to have several shops that make a Shop Hop route feel less like an errand list and more like a mini road trip with excellent scenery and even better conversation.
In Versailles, The Quilter’s Nook has become a creative quilting and sewing destination with classes, learning opportunities, and plenty of supplies and inspiration for anyone wanting to sharpen their skills or finally start that project they have been thinking about for two years. In Greensburg, Tree City Stitches is known for its premium fabrics, project kits, classes, and welcoming atmosphere, with plenty of samples on display to spark ideas before you even make it to the cutting counter.
In Vevay, Cardinal Quilts offers a deep fabric selection, quilting classes, and longarm services, making it the kind of place where serious quilters can stock up and newcomers can get helpful guidance without a trace of intimidation. And in Madison, L&L Yard Goods has been operating in the same location since 1986, offering quilting essentials, classes, and the sort of steady hometown presence that makes people come back year after year.
Together, these shops help keep quilting visible, vibrant, and local.
They also provide handmade quilts for community projects, children’s hospitals, veterans, and emergency services just like the early quilters did centuries ago.
So if your summer plans could use a little more color, a little more small-town charm,
and maybe a little more excuse to buy fabric you absolutely do not need but definitely deserve, the Shop Hop is calling. Bring a friend, bring your passport, and bring a willingness to be delighted by places where craftsmanship still matters and people still make beautiful things with their hands.
In Southeastern Indiana, quilting is more than a hobby.
It is history from the days of early pioneers, hospitality that warms you, creativity and community all stitched together one square at a time.
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