It was bat time in Texas.

Bats fly among storm clouds during the 15th annual Bat Fest in Austin, Texas. (AP)
Bats emerge from the Congress Ave. Bridge in Austin. The bat colony awakens above Lady Bird Johnson Lake to fly toward the Texas Gulf coast in search of insects. (AP)
Construction workers began replacing the mortar in the historic West Sixth Street Bridge and deal with a small colony of Mexican free-tailed bats living in its cracks. (AP)
During the late summer, the Congress Avenue Bridge is home to the world's largest urban bat colony. (AP)
A close-up of the Mexican free-tailed bat’s face

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Some bats from Mexico live in Texas in the summer. They roost under city bridges. They fly out at night to eat.

Fall came. The bats did not fly back to Mexico. Why not?

It was hot in October and November. Bats like that. Swarms of crickets flew in. Yum! Why would the bats want to leave?

READ MORE: Over a million Mexican free-tailed bats roost under bridges in Austin, Texas, in summer. People love to stand on the bridges at dusk to watch the bats fly out in search of food. Really hot weather in Austin last fall kept the bats in Texas. And then the city had an invasion of crickets. The bats were warm and well fed. They had no need to leave. Daniel 2:21 says that to God belong wisdom and might. He knows when to change times and seasons so that even bats are cared for.

Lesson #5: Bat Food or Short-Lived Pet? If you have any insect-loving children, crickets might be fun for them to keep as pets. They usually do not jump and they do not bite. The best place to find a cricket is inside your house in the fall. Wrap the cricket loosely in a hanky to transfer it to its new home. That could be a fishbowl or any other glass or plastic container. Cover the top with mesh and be sure the container has good airflow. Add moist dirt or sand, leaves, and a piece of bark to the bottom of the jar. Toilet rolls will allow the crickets to hide. Use plastic pill bottle caps for water and food trays. Drop water through a straw. Give the crickets clean food and water every day. Raw vegetables like cucumbers; granola or oats; bits of tofu, chicken, or a dog biscuit are ideas. Cricket food is also found at pet shops. Keep your crickets warm (86°) and the cage clean. Even then, the life of a cricket is short! Maybe you should read The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden instead!