Halloween is frightful fun but there are other scary things too

October is Bat Appreciation Month. Pictured here is the grey long-eared bat (Plecotus austriacus), a fairly large European bat. It has distinctive ears, long and with a distinctive fold. It hunts above woodland, often by day, and mostly for moths. Photo: 123rf.com

Halloween is October’s signature scary event, but the month of creepy creatures also is known as Bat Appreciation Month and Raptor Month.

Bats, goblins, witches, zombies, ghosts, werewolves and vampires are among the frightening critters (imagined, costumed and perhaps real) you’ll see this time of year in US stores, front yards and knocking at their doors.