Creating a friendly environment in your yard for dragonflies and damselflies is easier than you think. And even though their life cycle revolves around water, they don’t require a lot of it.
Incorporating an efficient water feature into your landscape is the simplest way to go.
- Pre-shaped ponds are available at local gardening centers.
- Flexible liners allow you to create your own design.
- Birdbaths in medium or large sizes are very effective.
The key is making sure your water feature has varying depths – a shallow area and a deeper area of at least 2 feet. The deeper area offers protection for its nymphs from predators.
Varying depths also offer larger plant selection. Underwater plants provide habitat for nymphs, while plants on the water surface create a resting place for adults. The nymphs crawl up the plants when they are getting ready to transform from water dwellers to free-flying adults.
Keep in mind dragonflies enjoy the midday sun, so place your water features accordingly.
By Cynthia Barsun, Guest Author
