Do you love dragonflies? Use these tips on how to attract dragonflies to your yard.
Photo Credit: Henk Bouma Photography
Many people seem to think that dragonflies are just creatures you see when visiting the lake, but the truth is dragonflies will feel at home in your backyard if the conditions are right! Dragonflies aren’t just beautiful to look at, they also offer a number of benefits to your yard and garden as well. These benefits are so great in fact that many gardeners go to great lengths to make their yard a dragonfly friendly space.
Are you curious to learn more? Take a look below at how to attract dragonflies to your yard, so you can enjoy the beauty they offer as well as the benefits their presence provides. Here are some tips for attracting dragonflies to get you started!
The Benefits of Attracting Dragonflies to Your Garden
First, let’s take a look at the benefits of dragonflies. Whether you enjoy gardening, creating beautiful landscaping, or just like to relax on your patio, dragonflies can help make your space more enjoyable. Here are some of the reasons you WANT dragonflies in your yard and garden.
1. Dragonflies LOVE to eat mosquitoes.
Dragonflies have a huge appetite for mosquitoes. This is great news for people who live in areas where mosquitoes wreak havoc on warm summer nights. Additionally, dragonfly nymphs eat mosquito larvae. Since mosquitoes are one of the main food sources for dragonflies, they can help naturally eliminate this pest from water features, yards, patios, and gardens.
2. Dragonflies will also eat other pests.
Horseflies can pose a big problem to pets, causing painful and irritating bites and rashes. Dragonflies are known for including horseflies in their diet, making them a welcomed addition to yards where pets are present. Dragonflies also eat midges, gnats, flies, and aphids.
3. The presence of dragonflies in your yard can help you omit the use of chemical pest repellents.
Because dragonflies can eat their weight (and more) in mosquitoes, they offer natural pest control. This means you can omit the use of chemical pest control substances that are harmful to the environment and may kill other beneficial bugs (ladybugs, bees, butterflies) in your garden.
Photo Credit: Henk Bouma Photography
4. Like butterflies, dragonflies come in a variety of colors and patterns.
Dragonflies are simply stunning to look at. Their wings offer a variety of colors and patterns and even give off an iridescent shine. Watching dragonflies and observing their behaviors can be fun, fascinating, and entertaining.
How to Attract Dragonflies to your Yard
Now that you know the benefits of attracting dragonflies to your yard, let’s take a look at how to make them feel more welcome so they are inclined to stay for a while. Here are some helpful tips on how to attract dragonflies, so you can make your yard and garden a welcoming space.
Photo Credit: Katherine Cuellar
1. Offer fresh and clean water.
Dragonflies humming about are a sign that clean, freshwater is near. They thrive off of clean water not only because it is where they like to breed and lay their eggs, but because it is where they find their food. There are several examples of freshwater you can offer dragonflies. This includes an in-ground pond feature, a stand-alone water feature such as a fountain, or even an above-ground water feature such as a DIY fountain made from a pump and galvanized tub.
2. Plant tall, wispy flowers.
Dragonflies enjoy tall and wispy plants they can rest on. They will perch on these taller plants and relax, or they will use them as resting spots as they wait for food to fly by. Some of the flowers that fall into the tall and wispy category include black-eyed susans, coneflowers, salvia, and daisies.
3. Offer flat rocks for sunning.
Just like turtles like to sit on rocks and sun themselves, dragonflies are no different. They enjoy flat rocks where they can rest and take in the heat. You can place these flat stones around the water source of your choice (as mentioned above) where dragonflies can easily access them and make use of them.
4. Avoid the use of pesticides.
While pesticides work to rid the yard of bad biting bugs, they also hurt beneficial bugs. Avoid using chemical products on your lawn and plants as they can harm beneficial bugs such as bees and dragonflies. These pesticides will also kill mosquitoes, which dragonflies count on for food.
5. Avoid adding fish to your ponds/water features.
Once you spend a lot of time on a pond, you might be tempted to add fish. While fish do look nice in a pond, they will also eat dragonfly eggs, killing the life cycle and promise of new dragonflies. If you want to attract dragonflies to your yard, omit adding fish to your pond.
6. Plant flowers and low lying foliage in and near your ponds/water features.
Dragonflies are more likely to use the water feature if there are welcoming plants and flowers in and near the feature. They know these flowers are where their food will buzz about and will also use them as resting spots. This includes fanwort and even floating plants such as water lilies and lotus. You can find these live plants at most gardening centers or even have them shipped directly from online nurseries.
Photo Credit: Katherine Cuellar
Are you ready to start attracting dragonflies to your yard and garden? If you give these dragonfly attracting tips a try you will be enjoying these beauties in no time. Not only will you have dragonflies flocking to your yard to give you a colorful show, but you will have fewer mosquitoes and other biting pests as well.
You don’t have to live on the lake to enjoy dragonflies all summer long. Give these tips a try and see how much they can help!
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