Leaf-Nosed Bat by Wilder (illustration by Ramona)

Drawing by Ramona

I wanted to write about a bat that likes prickly pear fruits, the fruits that I collect and eat.


You can use tongs to pick up the prickly pears, but most of the time I like to stab them with my knife, cut them up and eat them. The flower of the prickly pear is edible too. Usually in summertime, you find the pear cactuses turning red and they’re good to eat. Make sure you have something to pick them up with because they are spiky little things!


Matthew Winters Park is a great place to find them, and I wish I could see a leaf-nosed bat eating them here too. There’s also lots of small crevices and caves, rocks and ledges for the bats to rest in. I mostly see bees around the prickly pears now, and lots of birds that eat the seeds. 

– by Wilder