Place a pond in your yard. Ponds are beautiful additions to your backyard, and they attract dragonflies! Dragonflies are attracted to water because they breed in water. Their young hide among water plants. If you want dragonflies in your yard, put a water source somewhere in your yard. Create a pond at least 2 feet (0.6 m) deep. However, a pool of just about any size will appeal to dragonflies.[1] X Research source The pond should have a depth of at least 2 feet (.60 m) to allow the dragonfly nymphs to take cover from predators such as raccoons. The water source needs shallow, low edges. The shallow sloping sides allow for plants to grow. Find the right water source. You can choose creative ways to put water sources into your yard. If you are into landscaping, you can start a big, fun project where you place a premolded pond in your yard, or dig and build one yourself.[2] X Research source You can also set up a plastic wading pool, which dragonflies will breed in. Another idea is a wood half barrel. You can find premolded ponds at home improvement stores, and plastic wading pools at most toy stores or supercenters. You can find both online. Determine if you live near a source of

dragonflies. You will have better luck attracting dragonflies if you live near a water source with dragonflies. Some dragonflies will fly miles away from the water source, but the closer you are to a stream, lake, or other source of water, the better your chances are that you will attract them.[3] X Research source Most people who do not live in extremely arid areas should be reasonably close to a water source with dragonflies. Add water plants to your pond. You can’t just have a pond and attract dragonflies. You need water plants in the pond to help attract them. Dragonflies love tall plants! The dragonflies will lay their eggs in the plants, and the larvae will live in them until they are grown. Then, they will use the tall plants to perch on.[4] X Research source Stock the pond with both submerged and floating plants. They will use the underwater plants when they are larvae, and perch on the tall plants when they are adults. Try getting eelgrass, fanwort, hornwort, anacharis, wild celery, corkscrew rush, blue flag iris, parrot’s feather, pondweed, water lilies, and lotus flowers. You can find water plants at garden centers and online. Surround the pond with shrubs. Place

shrubs around the edge of the pond to give the dragonflies more places to land. This also makes your pond even more beautiful and appealing. The dragonflies will have more places to perch and live. You can plant border plants and shrubs. For example, you can try lobelia, seedbox, or button bush. You can also let the natural grass and brush around the pond grow to give the dragonflies more vegetation. Spread rocks around your pond. Rocks in and around your pond will make it even more beautiful. Dragonflies also love to perch on warm rocks, especially flat rocks. Place rocks in your pond and around the edges to give the dragonflies plenty of places to land. You can try a mixture of light and dark rocks. The dragonflies may be attracted to one over the other. Make sure the pond gets plenty of sun. Dragonflies like sunshine, so they will be more attracted to a pond that is out in the open with full sunshine in the middle of the day than one covered by the shade of tree branches.[5] X Research source Place sticks in the middle of your pond. While you are waiting for your plants to grow tall enough for dragonflies to perch on, place sticks in your pond. This gives the dragonflies

somewhere to land.[6] X Research source You can try sticks that you get from nearby trees or bamboo stakes for plants and vegetables. Avoid placing fish in your pond. You may want to put fish in your pond so you can have fish and dragonflies. This is not a good idea. Fish eat dragonfly larvae, so the dragonflies will not be attracted to the pond and start breeding there.[7] X Research source Add a fountain to your garden. If you don’t want to add a pond, you can just add a fountain instead. These are much more low maintenance. You can buy pond pumps at garden or home improvement stores, and place them in a tub or trough.[8] X Research source Often, you need additional filter boxes for your fountain when it is used outside. Plant dragonfly attracting flowers in around your home. Certain flowers will help attract dragonflies to your home. You can plant them around the water source, in your flower bed, or around your home to tempt the dragonflies to visit.[9] X Research source Plant black-eyed Susans, blanket flower, cardinal flower, goldenrod, bee balm, catmint, coneflower, golden Alexander, Phlox, Russian sage, Salvia, or yarrow.