Inviting dragonflies to your yard is a natural solution to your mosquito woes. Are you tired of slathering yourself with insect repellent whenever you want to relax in your backyard?
Well, I have a natural solution and, if I might say, a little enchanting – dragonflies! The mere mention of these stunning creatures might conjure up images of shimmering wings and misconceptions, but did you know they also have a practical purpose? Each dragonfly can eat up to 150 insects daily, with a particular penchant for mosquitoes.
If you’ve been searching for a way to control mosquitoes without dousing your garden with chemicals, introducing dragonflies into your garden might be the perfect solution.
As we banish pesticide use in on our properties, there will be a balance of nature, and the predators will show up to help keep populations in control.
Dragonflies are commonly seen during the warmer months. Their activity peaks in late spring and summer when the weather is warm and insects, their primary food source, are abundant. I see them cruising the edges of my re-wilded areas all summer, and I can watch them cruising the skies above my pool as a lay on a raft after a long, hot summer day.
Understanding the Dragonfly Life Cycle
The dragonfly life cycle is a fascinating journey from underwater larvae to winged predators. While they mature rapidly in tropical climates, cooler temperatures slow their development. Their time as flying adults is often brief, but their entire life span from egg to end of adult life can extend up to five years, depending on the species.
In temperate climates, dragonflies spend most of their life underwater in the nymph or larval stage. Once they molt into adults, their life span ranges from weeks to months, during which they mate and lay eggs.
They aren’t picky eaters. Besides mosquitoes, adult dragonflies feast on various insects like flies, bees, ants, wasps, and even smaller butterflies. Their underwater nymphs prey on aquatic insects, tadpoles, and sometimes small fish. Their appetite for pests makes them beneficial for maintaining a balanced ecosystem in your garden, and dragonflies play a dual role in the garden ecosystem as predators.
However, they are also prey for birds, frogs, and larger insects like praying mantises. This natural predator-prey relationship contributes to the ecological balance in your garden. Dragonflies are also pollinators; although not as effective as bees, they do contribute to pollinating your garden.
Despite their brief adult life, dragonflies benefit our ecosystem throughout their life cycle. Both adult dragonflies and their nymph offspring are voracious hunters and instrumental in controlling mosquito populations.
Inviting Dragonflies to Your Yard
Inviting dragonflies to your yard and creating a dragonfly-friendly environment is not as simple as catching and releasing some dragonflies into your backyard. They require specific conditions to thrive, particularly certain plants that attract these aerial acrobats.
Dragonflies are closely tied to water, especially in their larval stage. Adult dragonflies lay their eggs in or near water sources. If you have a pond, fountain, or even a bird bath in your garden, it can attract dragonflies and support their life cycle.
To attract dragonflies, you can create a water feature and grow aquatic plants while ensuring a pesticide-free environment.
Inviting dragonflies to my yard hasn’t included a water feature, however. I have neighbors with ponds, so I ensure I have plenty of native plants and eliminate pesticides. The dragonflies that turn into adults at my neighbor’s ponds come to my property to feed. I can lay on a float in the pool and look up during the evening hours and see a dozen dragonflies gorging themselves while not experiencing one mosquito myself.
Let’s explore some aquatic and terrestrial plants that can make your garden a dragonfly paradise.
Aquatic Plants for Dragonflies
Adding aquatic plants to your garden is a great start to inviting dragonflies to your yard. Particularly if you have a pond or a water feature, it is an effective way to attract dragonflies. Here are some plants to consider:
Arrowhead (Sagittaria) – These aquatic perennials thrive in shallow water along the edges of ponds and lakes, providing safe nurseries for growing nymphs. They also produce edible tubers that are rich in vitamins and minerals.
Water Lilies – Besides adding a touch of elegance to your pond, water lilies offer ample landing spots for dragonflies and shade the water surface, which helps control algae growth.
Wild Celery (Vallisneria americana) – An excellent habitat for growing dragonfly nymphs, this evergreen herb grows entirely underwater and can be anchored to a pond bed with rocks or gravel.
Fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana) – This aquatic perennial, known for its delicate leaves, offers a safe haven for dragonfly eggs and nymphs.
Terrestrial Plants for Dragonflies
Even without a water feature, you can incorporate several terrestrial plants into your garden to attract dragonflies. Here are a few options:
Milkweed – Plants such as Butterfly weed, Common milkweed, and Swamp milkweed can attract dragonflies while also providing a host plant to monarch butterflies and a myriad of other insects that utilize milkweed.
Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) – This hardy wildflower is not only loved by pollinators but also provides sturdy perching areas for dragonflies while adding seed heads in the fall that birds love.
Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata) – Once cherished for its medicinal properties, this bright purple wildflower is a pollinator magnet and offers ample perching for dragonflies.
Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) – This genus of herbaceous perennials includes dozens of attractive, sturdy plants that provide excellent dragonfly perches.
Joe-pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum) – This tall perennial sports clusters of small pink flowers that are perfect resting spots for dragonflies and is a butterfly favorite.
Final Thoughts
Dragonflies are not just valuable for their mosquito-eating abilities, but also as crucial parts of the larger ecosystem. Various birds, amphibians, fish, and other animals feed on them. Moreover, they act as important ecological indicators, with changes in their populations revealing the condition of water ecosystems.
Whether you’re a fan of their shimmering beauty or appreciate them for their natural pest control abilities, fostering dragonflies in your garden can be a rewarding venture. A few carefully chosen plants and prey for their dinner might be all that stands between you and these fascinating creatures!
Banish pesticides and let’s go native!
Related Resources
Need Help Going Native?
There are a lot of “rules” we’ve been told over the years and some hard-and-fast beliefs that we’ve developed as homeowners and gardeners. If you’d like help to understand a more eco-friendly, natural, and beneficial method, please reach out to learn more, and we can go native together!