Beavers are a true keystone species, so it should come as no surprise that two new studies broaden our understanding of beavers’ beneficial role, not only for aquatic life, but also for airborne creatures like bats and butterflies. Both studies were published by the British Ecological Society.
One study shows that beavers’ landscape engineering produces conditions that support bats. One of those conditions is more standing deadwood. Dead trees that remain upright — i.e., snags — serve as roosts for some bat species and attract insects like beetles, gnats, flies, and moths.
The combination of abundant water and insects provides fertile foraging for bats, whose ecological benefits are well-documented, especially for limiting the spread of disease by mosquitoes.
The other study demonstrates how beaver-engineered wetlands attract butterflies and other pollinators essential to healthy ecosystem function. Comparing beaver complexes to manmade ponds and wetlands, the study found 119 percent more individual hoverflies (dragonflies) and 45 percent more individual butterflies per visit than the artificial sites.
Photo: Colorado’s Mount Elbert provides a scenic backdrop for a pond and wetlands engineered and maintained by the beavers residing in this beaver lodge.
