Whooo's Out There? The Creatures Lurking in Your Trees This Halloween!
It's almost Halloween; the sun has gone down, the neighborhood has gone quiet, and somewhere in your backyard, something just made a very suspicious noise.
Was that a screech? A hoot? Something scurrying across a branch?
Before you suspect ghosts, examine the trees around you. Many eerie creatures make their home in the forests and suburbs of Cincinnati!
Owls
Owls are solitary, nocturnal hunters with excellent night vision and feathers adapted for silent flight. They have long been associated with Halloween because of their nocturnal habits and haunting calls that led to superstition linking them to death, magic, and the supernatural.
In ancient Roman and medieval European folklore, hearing an owl hoot or seeing one near a home was considered a harbinger of bad luck. Later Gothic literature solidified the owl's place as a staple of spooky Halloween imagery and decor.
In Cincinnati, we have several owl species. Notable ones include the barred owl, eastern screech owl, and great horned owl.
Barred owls are large forest dwellers with huge dark eyes centered on their face. They are well known for their "Who cooks for you?" call.
Eastern screech owls are the most common owl in Ohio and can be found in every county; they are about the size of a robin with feathered ear tufts. They are cavity nesters that rely on natural tree holes and human-made nest boxes.
Great horned owls are the largest resident owl in the region and can be recognized by their size, prominent ear tufts, and striking yellow eyes.
Barred owl Eastern screech owl Great horned owl
Bats
Bats are the quintessential Halloween animal and have long been associated with magic and darkness. This association likely started during the ancient Celtic fall festival called Samhain. During this festival, it is believed that bonfires would be lit to sway spirits who would emerge during the festival. These bonfires would attract moths, which in turn would attract bats.
And of course, we can't talk about bats and Halloween without mentioning vampires. This association started with Bram Stoker's Dracula, in which the vampire count can transform into a bat at will.
Ohio is home to around 15 species of bats, all of which are insect-eating and play an important role in controlling mosquitoes and garden pests. Since there aren't many natural cave openings in our area, most of our resident bats are tree-roosting and rely on wooded areas for shelter during the day before they hunt at night.
Ravens and Crows
Ravens and crows have a long history of being associated with ominous and eerie motifs as well as being death omens. This is likely due to their nature as scavengers, which historically would link them to battlefields and cemeteries.
Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven" contributed to the association of ravens with Halloween as spooky creatures. In this eerie, Gothic poem, the raven symbolizes grief, madness, and doom by continuously speaking "nevermore" as an echo of despair to the narrator.
Common Raven American Crow
In Cincinnati, large black birds are more likely to be American crows than ravens, as ravens are locally extinct. While common ravens once lived in Ohio, they disappeared from the region by the late 1800s. However, they have started to return to eastern and northeastern Ohio, with confirmed nesting in Ohio counties as of 2008.
Crows, on the other hand, are plentiful in Cincinnati. During summer and fall, you can see them flying and hear their distinctive "caw caw" calls. In line with the spooky, eerie vibes of Halloween, a group of crows is referred to as a "murder."
Spiders
These creepy crawlers are abundant not only in Ohio but also around the world. Their connection to Halloween likely stems from their preference for dark and neglected spaces, where they can build their webs undisturbed. Additionally, many people have a natural fear of spiders, which contributes to the frightening atmosphere they create.
Cincinnati and Southwest Ohio are home to more than 600 species of spiders! Out of the hundreds of species we have in our area, only two actually pose any medical risk to us: The Brown Recluse and the Black Widow spider. These two are very rare to come across during daily life, as they prefer dark, undisturbed areas.
The thought of hundreds of spider species being in our region may be frightening to some; however, spiders are incredible creatures. They are natural pest controllers, consuming massive numbers of disease-carrying insects and insects that like to invade our homes and gardens. In fact, a single house spider can consume up to 2,000 insects a year!
Many spiders in our region prefer living in or around trees, such as Orb-Weavers who build large circular webs suspended in the tree canopy. Emerald Jumping spiders are also often found roaming trees; these spiders rely on keen eyesight to stalk prey rather than building webs.
Yellow Garden Spider Jumping Spider
Trees Provide Shelter For These Creatures and More!
Trees are an essential part of our natural ecosystem. They provide food and shelter for the animals listed above and many more, such as songbirds, squirrels, opossums, turkeys, and raccoons. Throughout the year, white-tailed deer feed on the nuts, berries, leaves, and twigs of many tree species in the area as well.
By planting trees in your backyard, you can enhance local wildlife habitats while also increasing the beauty and value of your property. The tree health professionals at Gregory Forrest Lester, Inc. can assist you in selecting the right trees for your property, ensure they are planted correctly, and provide plant health care whenever you need it.
