Along with butterflies, dragonflies are one of nature’s most wonderful, beautiful, and mysterious insects. You may notice the occasional dragonfly zooming around your garden and let it pass on by. But did you know that these pretty bugs are also great at keeping mosquito populations down? Dragonflies don’t just eat adult mosquitoes – they eat mosquito larvae, too.
In reality, dragonflies are among nature’s top predators of mosquitoes (second only to bats) and actually can help manage mosquito populations around your yard or garden. There are a few elements that make dragonflies so effective at keeping mosquitoes in check. First, their eyesight is very keen and they are able to trace and capture flies on the wing. Second, they are incredibly nimble and able to change direction quickly, aiding them in chasing down their prey. Third, dragonflies are territorial and will keep other dragonflies off their territory, so they’re actively hunting mosquitoes and other flying bugs on their territory.
If you want to have dragonflies protect your outdoor living spaces from mosquitoes, there are a few actions that you can take to help these beneficial insects move in to your yard or garden:
Attract Dragonflies To Your Garden
Build a conducive habitat: Dragonflies are attracted to habitats close to water, such as ponds, lakes and streams. If you have some kind of water feature in your yard, perhaps a pond or a fountain, that’s also an accessory that can attract them to your property. You might also want to install a little pond or a water garden in your yard to make it more attractive to dragonflies.
Forget the pesticides: Pesticides can injure or kill dragonflies and other helpful insects. To attract dragonflies to your yard, eschew pesticides and other chemicals.
Try purchasing dragonfly larvae: If you can’t attract dragonflies to your gardens, you can buy dragonfly larvae online or possibly from a local nursery. The larvae will turn into dragonflies, and they also can be helpful in managing mosquito populations flying around your property.
If you want to attract dragonflies to your yard or garden (who doesn’t want that, my husband begs me to do anything it takes to attract those cute dragonflies to our garden), the plants you add to your garden are key. Dragonflies require water and vegetation, and there are many plants that can lure these insects. Some plants are:
1. Arrowhead
This water perennial produces small white flowers with yellow centers. Dragonflies adore these plants, using them to lay their eggs. They are pretty and if dragonflies love them, I love them too!!
2. Black-Eyed Susan
This popular plant is not only a draw for dragonflies, but for other garden visitors including butterflies, bumblebees, and other insects. Black-eyed susan (what a name) does well in just about any soil and thrives in full sun and regular watering.
3. Meadow Sage
Dragonflies and butterflies (that pretty duo) love the purple blooms of meadow sage. This is a pretty hardy plant and it even can last in hot, sunny conditions without much water.
4. Swamp Milkweed
This perennial blooms with small white and pink flowers in the summer and is a great nectar source that attract dragonflies, butterflies, and bees. This plant LOVES wet and moist places. Milkweed provides a habitat for monarch butterflies and their larvae as well.
5. White Yarrow
This coveted plant bears clusters of little white flowers. This plant prefers full sun and is relatively easy to grow and care for.
6. Joe-Pye Weed
These towering purple-pink plants are favorites with butterflies, dragonflies and bees. They are not just beautiful to look at, but have a sweet lovely scent. The plant is native to North America, and dragonflies adore it. Joe-Pye weed enjoys a damp soil and grows to approximately 6 feet in height — the kind of plant that will quickly draw dragonflies to your yard or garden.
7. Pond Plants
Dragonflies typically breed near water, where their offspring require hiding places. They relish both submerged and floating pond plants such as eelgrass, baby pondweed, water lilies, and lotus flowers.
8. Goldenrod
Towering, yellow-blooming goldenrod (and um, it’s just so so pretty) pulls in many pollinators, including dragonflies. It flowers in late summer and is quite useful to adult dragonflies, which feed on its nectar. Yum. Goldenrod grows in well-drained soil and reaches up to 5 feet high. OMG? So tall. They are my fave, btw.
9. Cardinal Flower
Cardinal flower is a lovely red-flowered plant in dragonflies favorite. It flowers in the middle to end of summer and enjoys wet ground. We had them when I was a child, and it was so beautiful that everyone who visited us asked what kind of flower that was. Cardinal flower can reach a height of 3 feet and is a lovely water garden or pond plant.
10. Flat Rocks
Now, flat rocks aren’t plants, but they are ideal spots for dragonflies to sunbathe. By adding different types of flat rocks around the borders of your pond or your garden for these unique insects to perch on, they’ll never want to leave your property!
