Dragonflies are beautiful-looking creatures that add to the beauty of nature’s surroundings.They are also great at getting rid of pests that are bothersome from invading your yard or gardens. These animals bring great benefits which is why people opt for attracting dragonflies in their yard.If you want to attract dragonflies, the first way to go about this is by finding the right garden features and plants to do so. You can look for a planting guide to attract dragonflies to know more about how to go about the plants part of it. Water-loving plants and rocks are a great start to attracting dragonflies and enjoying the many benefits these lovely creatures bring. Although, a lot of people find flying insects annoying like mosquitoes, wasps, bees, and flies.But somehow, dragonflies have managed to make it to the cut of insects that people just find magical. In fact, 300 million years ago, dragonflies were the first-ever winged insects that had evolved. Modern dragonflies are seen to have wings spans of only about 2-5 in (5.0-12.7 cm), but dragonflies that were found in fossils, are seen to have wingspans of up to 2 ft (60.9 cm)! The insects are always looking for a place to hide and hunt. Tall plants, shrubs, trees, submerged plants, floating plants, are helpful in attracting dragonflies in your garden. Let’s keep reading about these fascinating creatures and how to attract dragonflies! After learning some fascinating free tips to attract dragonflies, you may also read related fact files on how to give a dog massage and how to attract cardinals.Why attract dragonflies?Dragonflies are some of the oldest creatures out there that are attracted to wet boggy areas and are mostly found hanging around fountains and garden ponds. One major reason why people wish to attract dragonflies is because of how they keep away annoying insects in the garden. If you wish to decrease the number of pesky insects in your yard or garden, then you should definitely try and attract the adults to your yard or garden. These beautiful insects can fly up to 30 mph (48 kph). Adults are also quite skilled in avoiding predators. These predators are birds and frogs.Their eyes are said to be large and compound which helps them to catch their prey without missing any beats. Female dragonflies are seen to lay their eggs in either wet or muddy areas. These eggs or nymphs then hatch in around two to three weeks where they then live in water for about two years. Dragonflies are also quite sensitive when it comes to air pollution, so if you see several dragonflies residing in your area, it is a sign that the quality of air is good.One way experts say you can attract dragonflies is by installing a pond that is about 20 ft (6 m). Such ponds can help in supporting all the developments that a dragonfly would have. The pond must also have a depth of about 2 ft (0.61 m) with sloping shallow sides that allow a person to place a water-loving vegetation. Apart from this vegetation, ensure that the pond is placed in a sunny location. Also, do not add any related fish species to the ponds. Fish will just feed on the nymphs and all your effort would’ve been in vain. If you have a yard, you could also plan on installing a rain garden. These winged dragonflies will land and sit on these stakes. After they land, they will go about using them as a perch.Plants That Attract DragonfliesYou may already know that plants attract dragonflies. So the first way to go about attracting them would be to use plants to attract dragonflies. There are 12 different plants you could opt for to do this task according to the area you live in. We will be looking at some of these plants. Arrowhead plants are known to produce gorgeous white flowers and are quite easy to grow. These are said to be some of the best plants for attracting dragonflies and also bees. Another beautiful plant used for this is water lilies. They make your garden look magical and dreamy. Water lilies are quite easy to grow and fit into tubes and small containers nicely.Yarrow is a carefree plant that is seen to be ideal for ground covers and garden boundaries. They grow stunning pale white flowers that are also seen in lilac. In India, these flowers are usually grown between June-September. They are also famous for attracting numerous insects which include dragonflies and butterflies. Another type of plant used for attracting them is dragonflies like a meadow sage. Growing this plant of sage is one of the best ways to attract dragonflies to your yard or garden.These flowers thrive amazingly in the early to late summer and come in various beautiful shades of white, blue, and purple. In Indian culture, sage has great uses in health, culinary and beauty. Another plant from India used for this is the Indian borage. This plant is also popularly known as the Chhota Kalpa. These blue and white flowers produce a variety of herbs and also enhance the look of your garden. Coneflowers are colorful flowers that require low maintenance throughout the weather of spring to late summer. The eastern purple color variations in it are known for attracting dragonflies, bees, and many more insects in India.How to attract dragonflies using a pond?If the garden or yard of your house is surrounded by mosquitoes, then breeding dragonflies could be the solution to this problem! Mosquitoes come a lot during the summer and can ruin the vibe of your garden by consistently biting you while you are sitting there. Breeding dragonflies are the perfect solution for this problem and are known as the insects that get rid of the insects that bite us. If you plan on attracting dragonflies in the area of your house using a pond, you don’t need to use a big one.People have used plastic wading pools to create a place to breed dragonflies. It doesn’t matter how small or big your water source is, as long as it is around two feet (0.61 m) deep. You can find such ponds that are pre-molded online or at interior stores. From what we know so far, dragonflies are seen to breed or laying eggs in water because their young ones, also called as a nymph need places to hide in. Having water plants that could also be floating is a significant need for the environment of dragonflies then. There are a variety of plants you can get which we have already gone through in the previous part of the article.The edge of the dragonfly pond is the most ideal place for you to place this floating plant. This is because more sites to perch are then available for dragonflies. You could also optionally add on some buttonbush or seedbox so that the dragonfly feels like it’s their habitat. Including flat rocks is also a must. Since these insects enjoy sunning themselves, the warmth that these flat rocks provide is perfect for setting it. Tall plants, shrubs, trees, submerged plants, floating plants, are helpful in attracting dragonflies in your garden as they help these insects remain safe from predators like birds. You can try mixing both dark and light rocks and place them near trees or shrubs to see which ones dragonflies are more attached towards.How to use rocks to attract dragonflies?There are a variety of benefits in attracting dragonflies to your garden or yard. Firstly, these insects enjoy devouring mosquitoes and other pests that annoy us or ruin the beauty of our garden. They are also colorful in nature, similar to a butterfly. You can avoid using chemical pest repellents that spoil the quality of the plants and flowers you have put so much effort into.Dragonfly species act as natural pest control of mosquitoes and help in keeping the garden beautiful and tidy. If you plan on attracting dragonflies in your area, the first step would be to stop using any kinds of pesticides as they can hurt this bug that can be beneficial for pest control. Another great way of attracting them is keeping flat rocks. Just like how turtles enjoy lazing themselves in the sun by sitting on rocks, dragonflies do too.Resting on a flat rock in the sun is the best setup you can keep to attract these stunning creatures to your area. You can also keep the water source of your choice present there so that dragonflies can easily make use of and access them. Ensure that the water source you keep is clean and fresh. Avoid keeping a fish in the pond as they feast on dragonflies. You could keep a fish in a different pond.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for how to attract dragonflies then why not take a look at how to attract crows or dragonfly facts.
Dragonflies are beautiful-looking creatures that add to the beauty of nature’s surroundings.
