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Dragonflies Are Your Garden’s Eco-Heroes! 3 Ways to Invite Them Gracefully

Dragonflies Are Your Garden’s Eco-Heroes! 3 Ways to Invite Them Gracefully

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Many people like to make their yard as welcoming as possible to allow for other insects and birds to visit. The dragonfly is a very popular insect that is renowned for its large eyes, and a couple of pairs of incredibly strong wings.

Perhaps the most distinctive feature of the dragonfly is the elongated body. Many people often mistake dragonflies to damselflies, both of which share a similar structure, though the latter has a considerably lighter build.

Dragonflies can often be seen in wooded areas and gardens, primarily because they like to eat other flying insects. They primarily feed on mosquitoes and midges, and in some cases, also eat butterflies, other smaller dragonflies, and also moths.

There are many reasons why you would want to try and create a more welcoming environment for dragonflies in the yard. Due to the build structure, they are often quite adapted to capture other flying pests. The webbed arrangement of legs that they have is also a plus point.

What Are the Benefits of Dragonflies in the Yard?

There are a plethora of reasons why you would want to attract dragonflies to your yard. Here are just a few major benefits that you get for attracting dragonflies to your yard.

Eat Spiders and Mosquitoes

As mentioned above, many adult dragonflies tend to feast on other flying bugs, mosquitoes, and also spiders. They also eat smaller dragonflies and butterflies.

Moths are an easy target, as well as small insects such as small fish, bloodworms, and aquatic larvae. As a result of that, it can be said that dragonflies eat mosquitoes that can spread malaria.

Balances Insect Predators

If you take a look at the ecosystem in your yard, you will realize that there is a fine balance between the number of pests and the number of insects. Dragonflies are able to control the infestation of pests.

If you like gardening, you won’t have to worry about using harsh insecticides to control the infestation in your garden.

Aesthetic Appeal

If you simply look at these insects from a distance, you will realize that the aesthetic appeal they offer is pretty incredible. They have a metallic color on their body and their unique appearance, along with their elongated body, makes them a sight to behold.

They can add a touch of beauty to other water bodies, ponds, and streams. They’ll also get rid of the flies for you.

Ecological Advantages

To maintain the ecology of any water body on your property, dragonflies play an incredibly important role. They tend to live near fresh water bodies and they don’t have a bite or a string either.

They offer a myriad of ecological advantages to different areas.

Augmenting Mosquito Population

Augmentation is the process where a predator is released within an environment to control the population. In many cases, they are released in the environment to control the population of mosquitoes in the house.

Biological pest control is often regarded as the best option and it’s a great choice for people who want to make sure that they do not have to worry about mosquitoes or malaria in the house.

Now that you know the benefits, there are a number of different techniques that you can use to attract dragonflies to your yard. Here are a few different techniques that you can use to attract dragonflies to the yard.

How to Attract Dragonflies to Your Yard

1 – Adding a Water Feature

One of the biggest methods that you can use to attract dragonflies to your yard is to add a water feature. Dragonflies are aquatic insects and they lay their eggs in the water.

They tend to spend the rest of their time perched on vegetation in the surrounding area. Some dragonflies tend to prefer standing water, while others like a flowing body of water.

If you are thinking of doing some renovation work in your yard and want to add a new feature, you should consider adding a water pond. To make it more idyllic and beautiful, you can also add a small waterfall to the pond as well.

It looks really good and will add a touch of class to your garden. On top of that, it’s also going to attract these aquatic insects.

However, an important thing to keep in mind here is that the water body should be at least two feet deep. Otherwise, you won’t be able to attract dragonflies or damselflies, only mosquitoes.

2 – Plant Some Vegetation

Adding a bit of vegetation in or around the water is a great way to provide even more protection to the dragonfly. They often need a few different types of vegetation to give protection to their eggs and their nymphs.

Usually, emergent vegetation is a great idea, because it provides partial protection. These floating plants also provide a way out for the nymphs.

These floating plants usually provide a perch for the dragonflies to rest and lay their eggs. Nearby trees and shrubs then provide a place for the dragonflies to perch on.

3 – Add Some Pollinator Plants

Once you have a water source in place, you should know that it is going to provide a pretty steady food intake for the dragonflies. There are going to be quite a few mosquitoes around the water feature, so the dragonflies will have plenty of food available.

However, it’s also going to attract other insects that are going to eat the mosquitoes as well. That is one of the main reasons why you should consider adding pollinator plants into the mix as well. Pollinator plants such as irises, buttercups, and lilies are a great choice.

This will attract even more damselflies and dragonflies to your garden. It’s a great choice because these plants are another source of attraction for these insects.

The best thing that you can do is to add some plants that provide an elevated perch around the plant. Dragonflies like to sit on perched plants and they are quite territorial.

If you have a water feature in your garden, you should know that it requires adequate maintenance. Moreover, once the dragonflies have laid eggs in or around the water feature, you should avoid tampering with it too much.

There is a strong risk that you will end up causing damage to their eggs and killing them in your desire to maintain it as well. You have to be quite cautious when you see a large population of dragonflies hovering around your water feature.

But, one of the best advantages that you get for attracting dragonflies to your garden is that they are not harmful to humans at all. They don’t have a bite or a sting.

It’s also important that if you want a growing population of dragonflies, you should avoid introducing fish or ducks or even frogs to the water feature.

These are just a few things that you should know about attracting dragonflies to your yard. It’s recommended that you avoid being impatient because it’s going to take a while for the dragonflies to find your water feature and then call your water feature a home.

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