089 The Night Shift
Hey Fruit Bat, while we sleep, you fly from tree to tree, carrying pollen between flowers and dropping seeds far across the land.
Who works for us while we sleep?
Who works for you while you sleep?
At dusk, a great flock of fruit bats leaves a roosting tree and spreads out over the town.
By morning, they are back, hanging upside down and asleep.
What really happens
Fruit bats feed on nectar and fruit at night.
As they fly from tree to tree, they carry pollen between flowers and drop seeds far away, helping many trees reproduce and forests regrow.
How we know: Fruit bat pollination and seed dispersal are well studied; in India, the Indian flying fox is an important seed disperser.
The turn
While we sleep, much of the world keeps working for us.
Some of our best helpers are the ones we never see, or even fear.
Three takeaways
- Many help us unseen.
- Do not judge helpers by how they look.
- Some work is done best in the dark.
The night shift plants the forest.
… the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts …