Dragonflies are magnificent insects that are incredibly beneficial to our gardens. These voracious predators feast on mosquitoes, gnats, and other pesky insects, making them a natural form of pest control.
If you want to attract these aerial acrobats to your garden, read on for some tips on how to create a dragonfly-friendly environment that will bring these elegant creatures in no time!
1. Add A Water Feature To Your Garden
In case you didn’t know, dragonflies are a type of aquatic insect. Therefore, they are attracted to water, which is why adding a water feature to your garden is a great way to make dragonflies feel at home.
You can create a tiny pond in your garden, but if you don’t have enough space, a bird bath or fountain will do just fine. I would suggest you avoid adding fish because they feed on dragonfly larvae.
Here’s a picture of my water feature which acts as a magnet for dragonflies:
2. Put Some Plants Around And In Your Feature
You can’t just create a tiny pond in your backyard and call it a day – plants in and around your water feature also play important roles when it comes to alluring dragonflies.
These water plants will provide suitable locations for dragonflies to lay their eggs, as well as necessary places to perch, sleep, and find shelter.
Opt for plants like water lilies, cattails, bee balm, and black-eyed Susans. Some of these are native wildflowers that will also attract other beneficial insects like bees and butterflies.
You might be interested in: Are Dragonflies Pollinators? The Answer Might Shock You!
3. Don’t Use Pesticides
When you use pesticides on your plants, you get rid of all kinds of bugs, including the good ones as well. Therefore, you should avoid using pesticides and herbicides that would otherwise harm dragonflies in your backyard.
Try getting rid of pests organically – you can consider using beneficial nematodes as a form of pest control, and also to pull out weeds with your own hands.
Keep in mind that you shouldn’t use bug zappers to get rid of mosquitoes because these will harm your dragonflies. Instead, you should grow mosquito-repelling plants that will keep your garden mosquitoes-free!