7 Pollinator-Friendly Plants That Attract Dragonflies
Don’t you just love summer? With the spring showers going away and the sun being in full blast, you can spend all of your days outside and enjoy doing all kinds of outdoor activities – including gardening!
However, if there’s one thing we all hate about the summer is the swarm of mosquitoes that seem to be pretty much everywhere. These little suckers usually hang around plants in your raised garden beds, so if you’re a gardener, you’ve definitely had your fair share of mosquito bites. Luckily, dragonflies are to save the day!
How to Attract Dragonflies
Did you know that dragonflies eat around tens to thousands of mosquitoes daily? If you live near an open water source, you’ve definitely seen these graceful insects flapping their wings beautifully, and they’ve helped you out in more ways than you can imagine!
Dragonflies are aquatic insects that lay their eggs near fresh water. Unfortunately, some of us don’t have the luxury of having an open water source near our homes, meaning there’s no way to attract them to help out with mosquito problems. Or, is there?
There are many plants that attract dragonflies, as well as many other pollinators, all of which can contribute to a thriving garden. Best of all, they are typically easy to take care of, so even if you’re a beginner, you won’t have any problems nurturing them.
With that in mind, if you’ve faced mosquito problems in the garden and want to get rid of them naturally, you should definitely consider growing some of these plants in metal raised garden beds to attract dragonflies in your garden.
Seven Plants That Attract Dragonflies
1. Black-Eyed Susans
Black-eyed Susans are instantly recognizable flowers and are a favorite to many pollinators – dragonflies included! Given their vibrant yellow petals, it’s no wonder why so many insects love them!
Black-eyed Susans live for about two years in warm climates and die off once winter hits. These plants that attract dragonflies are relatively easy to take care of since they don’t have a lot of needs. Since they can adapt to almost every type of soil, all you need to do is provide them with full sunlight and regular watering, and you’ll be all set!
2. Joe-Pye Weed
Love the smell of vanilla? So do dragonflies, especially when the aroma is coming from Joe-Pye weeds!
Don’t let the name fool you – Joe-Pyes are anything but weeds. Instead, they’re gorgeous plants that produce pale pink-purple flowers that last from mid-summer to fall. Naturally, they attract all kinds of pollinators, but dragonflies especially love them for their height. Namely, these flowers can reach up to 12 feet!
In addition to their attractive appearance, they also boast a wonderful aroma. By taking a whiff, you’ll instantly sense the vanilla notes, and they’re much more intense when you crush its leaves. And let’s face it – who doesn’t want their garden to smell like vanilla?
3. Swamp Milkweed
If you’re familiar with the common milkweed, you’ll definitely notice the swamp “alternative”. The swamp milkweed is another beautiful flower that comes back every year and likes to show off its attractive white and pink petals.
Interestingly, we aren’t the only ones who like this plant – a lot of butterflies, wasps, and bees do as well! With that said, dragonflies see the swamp milkweed as one big feast! As for caring for this plant that attracts dragonflies, it thrives best in moist areas with wet, clay soil, though you shouldn’t forget to provide it with a lot of sunlight, too.
4. White Yarrow
We know beginner gardeners are always on the lookout for plants that aren’t too needy. If you’re one of them, you should definitely look into the white yarrow!
This beautiful perennial wildflower is characterized by huge clusters of creamy-white petals. Thanks to its appearance, it can instantly brighten up your garden without you needing to put too much effort into growing it. Best of all, white yarrows are disease-resistant and they are known to attract a lot of butterflies and parasitic wasps, so you should definitely expect a lot of dragonflies coming your way!
5. Meadow Sage
The meadow sage is another plant that attracts dragonflies; its eye-catching purple color will captivate you as soon as you see it. Since it grows abundantly, it can give your garden that splash of color we all love during the summertime.
Similarly to all the previous plants on this list, caring for the meadow sage is relatively easy. It does love full sun, but it can also thrive in partial shade, specifically during the afternoon. When it comes to watering, you shouldn’t worry about it too much – meadow sage handles droughts relatively well once established, it only needs a sip of water every once in a while.
6. Water Lily
Now, we know that not many of you have water features in your garden, but if you do or are considering adding one to your garden, you should look into aquatic plants. Since water is known to be a hotspot for mosquitoes, you definitely need to try your best to keep these annoying blood-suckers away from your garden.
There are a lot of aquatic plants you can go for, however, nothing comes close to gorgeous water lilies. These floating plants are the perfect spot for adult dragonflies to lay their eggs. Additionally, they’re pretty easy to plant. You can grow them from tubers planted in pots beneath the water’s surface, and the plant will send up stems with rounded leaves and star-shaped petals to the top. If you’re having issues with keeping the lily submerged, a few rocks will definitely do the trick.
7. Cattail
Finally, cattails are the last item on our plants that attract dragonflies, but it’s certainly not the least! This aquatic plant grows best in swampy areas, and it’s the perfect breeding ground for dragonflies. Cattails need a lot of sunlight to thrive, and they are very hardy, meaning they are very easy to transplant!
Conclusion
There you go – these plants that attract dragonflies will surely keep all of your mosquito problems away once summer comes around! If you’re looking for more gardening tips, our blogs will give you all the info you need.
