Be Kind to Your Dragonflies

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Dragonflies are a sometimes overlooked beneficial insect in the garden.

We’re used to seeing them buzzing around like miniature aircraft carriers, without understanding how much they truly do for us. And while many of us think dragonflies only hang around swampy areas or wetlands, we have plenty of them in our garden on the prairie. No matter where you live, it’s a good idea to improve your backyard space for them.

Attract them with Ponds

As I’ve mentioned before, our boys have opened up my eyes to the little things happening around us. Whether it’s right outside our door, or on a hike in Glacier National Park, they notice things many adults don’t even see. This spring has been all about aquatic life, so you can imagine their delight when they found a dragonfly nymph in a pond.

After dragonflies mate, the female lays the eggs along the edge of a pond or marshy area, which is where the budding dragonfly spends a good deal of its life, sometimes years. The nymphs are bizarre looking creatures straight out of a science fiction movie. They are also voracious aquatic predators eating mosquito larvae, along with tadpoles and other small creatures, including other dragonfly nymphs. These creatures are eating machines from the get go.

While a larger pond (more than 20 ft. in diameter) is desirable to encourage dragonflies to use it as natal habitat, sometimes they do utilize smaller bodies of water. They need places to hide among rocks and vegetation, as well as some sort of prey base (which usually isn’t a problem with the number of insects that spend time in the water) to feed upon until they metamorphosize into adults.

Adult Dragonflies

It was really neat to watch the dragonfly shed its skin developing into an adult. Remember the movie “Aliens?” Well, this is undoubtedly where the creators derived their inspiration. The nymph clings to something out of the water, such as a reed, then comes out of the skin head first. It takes some time, but every moment has a new creepy factor. Of course, the boys thought it was totally cool.

After it emerges, the young adult (called a teneral) is back in business, this time as a hunter from the sky. They are powerful flying machines, sometimes traveling as fast as 30 mph, and can zero in on prey with their incredible vision. They’ll nab anything they hone in on, and have a nearly insatiable appetite. About the only thing they stop hunting for during their 6 to 8 week lifespan is mating, and it’s not like that’s only for a brief time.

During this time, they’ll eat pretty much anything they can catch. This includes beetles, moths, flies, and smaller dragonflies. You have to realize, we’re dealing with a practically prehistoric creature whose goal is food. There’s not a lot of culinary selection with this bunch. But, because of this, they’re great to have in the garden. Not only do they consume a lot, they’re great hunters. Some reports conclude that when they go after something, they are 95 percent successful. That’s unheard of with mammals.

So be nice to your dragons. They’re another addition to your collection of beneficial insects to help keep the detrimental bugs in balance.

Meet Amy Grisak

Amy is a freelance author and photographer in Great Falls, MT who specializes in gardening, foods, and sustainable agriculture. She provides information on every kind…

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