How to Attract Dragonflies to Your Property

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Do Dragonflies Eat Mosquitoes?

Kenny Coogan: Good day, everyone, and we appreciate you for joining us on another exciting Mother Earth News and Friends podcast. I am Kenny Coogan, and joining me today is Virginia Overstreet. At Mother Earth News, for 50 years in counting, we have been dedicated to conserving our planet’s natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources.

Today, we are going to learn about dragonflies and why you should encourage them to [00:02:00] your homestead. Virginia Overstreet is the president of the Suncoast Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society in Hillsboro County, Florida. She has been a Florida Master Gardener volunteer since 2001 and a Florida Master Naturalist since 2018. She gardens to support wildlife and to conserve Florida’s natural resources. She enjoys exploring natural Florida by hiking and kayaking. Welcome to the podcast, Virginia.

Virginia Overstreet: Thanks, Kenny. It’s nice to be with you.

Kenny Coogan: We’re excited to have you. So one thing that people might be asking is why would they want to encourage dragonflies to live in their backyard?

Virginia Overstreet: Well, the main reason is dragonflies eat mosquitoes and gnats. They also eat other pollinators in our gardens, but they are a natural form of pest control for us, for people who choose to [00:03:00] garden naturally without pesticides and chemical fertilizers.

Kenny Coogan: And we want to support all life forms. And can you tell us how long dragonflies have been around on this planet Earth?

Virginia Overstreet: They’ve actually been around for 300 million years, and their size is the only basic difference. Today, most dragonflies have a wingspan of two and a half inches, but they used to be two feet.

Kenny Coogan: So that would be pretty scary.

Virginia Overstreet: It would. It would.

Kenny Coogan: You mentioned that they’re a nice natural form of pest control. So, what are dragonflies eating?

Virginia Overstreet: I mentioned that they eat mosquitoes and gnats, but they also eat butterflies, moths, wasps, bees, uh, even smaller dragonflies. So yes, they are eating some of the, uh, beneficial [00:04:00] pollinators that we enjoy seeing in our garden. But, um, you know, that’s, that’s just a part of the natural food chain.

Kenny Coogan: Very good, because we did have a comment from Sherry Miller Ortiz, and she was saying that she thinks that they’re eating more honeybees than mosquitoes. In the adult form, are they eating flying mosquitoes or….?

Virginia Overstreet: Yes. In fact, the adult dragonfly kills while it’s, uh, flying. They don’t, you know, swoop down and catch prey that’s, that’s on a flower. So they, um, that’s why you see them flying around so much. They’re looking for prey.

Kenny Coogan: Meadowcrest Farm wrote in the comments when we were asking our fans for questions, they wrote, “They get so thick at our farm that they look like ballerinas dancing in the sun rays. I love them.”

Virginia Overstreet: I really like seeing them in the late afternoon. The wings are absolutely beautiful with the [00:05:00] sunlight shining through them, and I tell you, Meadowcrest Farm can, um, should be proud because if they’ve got lots of dragonflies in their area, that means they’ve got a clean, healthy ecosystem and their garden is providing lots of food for the dragonfly.

How to Attract Dragonflies Without a Pond

Kenny Coogan: Very good. We got also several comments of people wanting to encourage the dragonflies to their homestead. Pam Eagler Ferry wrote, “Do you have to have a water feature to attract them? I know they use water to breed, but I am less than a quarter mile away to ponds.” And then @ZenMomster wrote, “My husband and I had dragonflies on our property in Maine. We offered two fruit trees, naturally grown wildflowers, daylilies, and an unmowed lawn of approximately two acres. This attracted grasshoppers, which provided our free-range chickens and turkeys. We only mowed the lawn we use for our personal use, and we had [00:06:00] no open water sources.”

So Virginia, how important is water for dragonflies?

Virginia Overstreet: Well, it’s absolutely essential for breeding because they, uh, they lay the eggs in the water, but you don’t have to have a water feature, and you don’t have to live directly on a body of water to have the dragonflies in your landscape. But if you’re not using pesticides or chemical fertilizers and you’re planting native plants that bring in a lot of wildlife, like bees and butterflies, your garden will be a food source for them, and you’ll see them in your garden.

For example, I’m about one mile from the Hillsborough River here in Tampa, Florida, and I don’t see dragonflies every day, but I do see them occasionally and my garden is healthy because I don’t use any herbicides. And so, you know, it’s a good place for them to come to eat. You can have a, a [00:07:00] pond in your garden if you want to attract more of them, but it really isn’t required.

Kenny Coogan: Now, you mentioned that you’re one mile away from the Hillsborough County River, but you’re inside, like, not a suburb, but basically the city, right?

Virginia Overstreet: Yes. Mm-hmm. Yes. You don’t have to live in an urban, you know, environment, I mean a rural environment to attract them. You will see them all over. You know, I mentioned the Hillsborough River. I’m a, I’m an avid kayaker and every single time I’m kayaking on the Hillsborough River, I have dragonflies and damselflies that will land on the bow of my boat and just kind of hitchhike and take a ride down the river with me. And, um, you know, it’s really charming to see that, a lot of people say, oh, I saw a, um, you know, a baby dragonfly the other day, and cause the body was so thin. Well, that’s a damselfly. The um, the damselflies have very thin bodies, whereas [00:08:00] the dragonflies’ body is thicker and a bit more muscular.

Kenny Coogan: When we were advertising this podcast, we had, uh, two fans, Grazeland, which is a great name, and Cliff Wormington, which is also a great name, and they both noticed that in the advertisement for this podcast, that we had an incorrect picture on the post. So instead of a dragonfly, it was a damselfly. And one, uh, other difference is how they, when they’re resting their wing position, and that’s also the, how you can tell the difference between a butterfly and a moth.

Virginia Overstreet: That’s right. The dragonfly rests with the wings out, and the damselfly rests with the wings folded up a bit. Not completely, but definitely more than the, uh, dragonflies.

Creating a Dragonfly Habitat

Kenny Coogan: We had some other followers, plant requirements to encourage them to their backyard. @John.Petre1, Melissa [00:09:00] Frechette, and Lisa Marie all ask, how do you attract dragonflies? Other than having a lot of bugs, what plants do they like? And @KKaul1725 also asked, “Would love to know the absolute necessities for attracting and supporting dragonflies, especially in a small yard.”

So we already covered water requirements. What are the other plant and environmental requirements?

Virginia Overstreet: Well, you really need to concentrate on native plants. Because native plants are going to bring in a lot of wildlife in the form of butterflies, moths, uh, bees, wasps. And these are the types of insects that dragonflies like to eat. So providing that food source is really what you need to do. And if you’ve got a small yard, you may not have room to put a, a pond in, but if you, you know, you’ve got to bring in the food that they want. [00:10:00] So it’s really not a matter of particular plants, but definitely native.

Kenny Coogan: If you have maybe a deep bird bath or a little pond, do the mosquitoes…? Just kidding. Do the dragonflies require any, uh, aquatic plants or submerged plants, like something to lay their eggs on or their babies to hide under?

Virginia Overstreet: Yes. Um, absolutely. Um, there are three different types of plants you would need for a garden pond. You would need floating vegetation for the female to lay her eggs on, which is called ovipositing and perching. Then you would need substrate plants underneath the water, which would be a refuge for the naiads or, and that’s what you call a a dragonfly nymph. And that protects them from other things in the water that are trying to eat them. And then you need emergent vegetation. Vegetation that’s coming [00:11:00] out of the water, and that is for the final stage of the naiad to become an adult.

So you need three different types, and it’s best to have the garden pond about two feet deep. And another absolutely critical requirement is for this pond for dragonflies, you cannot have fish in it because the fish will eat the naiads. A lot of people will say, well, what about, you know, mosquitoes? Well, the the dragonfly naiads will eat mosquito larva and they also eat other insects that get into the water. They’ll eat tadpoles, but they are prey to other things like birds, frogs, and toads will get in there. So it’s very important to have all this plant material for them to hide.

Stages of the Dragonfly Lifecycle

Kenny Coogan: @Matthew_Bechtold_Photography wrote, “When my daughter was around five or so, we got to witness a dragonfly hatching or molting while [00:12:00] we were fishing. It was amazing. A little miracle of nature.”

So Virginia, could you talk a little bit more about the life cycle of the dragonflies, and when the female lays the egg, are the eggs right on the surface of the water of the plant, or are they underwater?

Virginia Overstreet: She usually lays them directly on the water. She can lay up to 1,500 per clutch. Of course, they all don’t make it to adulthood. They hatch in about seven to eight days and, um, they’re very small. 1/100 of an inch long. And the naiad is the next stage, and this is actually the longest stage that can be up to two years long. And they live underwater and they molt between nine and 17 times.

And, um, so, you know, if you were to do a search, an internet search, on naiads, you’d see all kinds of [00:13:00] different photos because they do look definitely different. But at that, at the final end, that they climb out of the water and then emerge. And that’s very exciting to have a child experience that. You never know that might, you know, affect that child’s, uh, you know, career decision. She may want to be a, you know, um, a wildlife biologist, who knows?

Kenny Coogan: When they molt those nine to 17 times are, do they look different, or are they just getting bigger?

Virginia Overstreet: They do look different. Their body will be a little bit longer, and it’ll get thicker, and then when they do finally emerge just as butterflies, the wings are wet. And so they have to sit in the sunshine and let the wings dry before they can fly, so they’re, they’re vulnerable at that point. And that’s another reason why you’ll see males that are very territorial. They’re constantly flying all around these areas where the female [00:14:00] has oviposited her eggs and where these naiads are coming out.

Kenny Coogan: When they are in that naiad stage for up to two years, how do you know how long they live in the adult stage?

Virginia Overstreet: It varies. Some only live about six months, and some closer to a year. You know it, it just depends.

Kenny Coogan: And can you talk a little bit about how they reproduce?

Virginia Overstreet: Yes. That’s very interesting to see. And again, I’ve never seen it in the garden, but I have seen it on the, the bow of my kayak, when they come together, it’s called a wheel. Their bodies, you know, form this wheel. It’s also kind of heart-shaped, which in folklore, you know, people think, you know, that’s very romantic. And they mate while they’re at rest, but then they can fly while they’re still mating. I’ve had dragonflies and damselflies mate on my kayak and then fly off together. So that’s, [00:15:00] that’s very romantic.

Kenny Coogan: So, speaking of flying, can you talk a little bit about their flying patterns? I think a lot of the listeners will know that they can kind of hover.

Virginia Overstreet: They can. They can hover and they can fly in six directions: front, back up, down, left, right. And they’re able to do this because of a counter-stroking. And what that is is, you know, dragonflies and damselflies have two sets of wings, but they can turn the wings in different directions, which enables them, if they’re flying straight and they happen to see a, you know, a mosquito, you know, at nine o’clock, they can adjust those wings and turn really hard. You know, like a little, you know, jet fighter out there. That enables them to catch their prey. And, uh, not only that, but they have huge eyes. If you, especially the dragonflies. The dragonflies’ eyes are so large they almost [00:16:00] touch. If you see a damselfly, their eyes are smaller. There’s a space between them.

Kenny Coogan: What are some other characteristics of dragonfly behavior that’s unique?

Virginia Overstreet: You know, the ability to fly in different directions. But another thing that they do is called obelisking. You know, if you’ve ever seen a dragonfly or a damselfly perched, but with its body facing almost straight up or maybe at a slight angle, what they’re doing is trying to cool off. You know, they’re, they’re cold-blooded animals, and they’re trying to minimize the amount of sunlight touching their bodies. So they’ll land and stay in the obelisk position for just a few minutes to cool down. Or sometimes they might have to literally just, you know, fly into a shady area. But if you ever see one just obelisking like that, that’s what they’re doing is trying to cool down a little bit.

You know, the males [00:17:00] are very territorial, especially when the female is, is laying her eggs, but they’re just really interesting to watch. All of those different flight patterns are just absolutely amazing. In folklore, the Japanese samurai used to refer to them as “flying warrior,” and that ability to fly like that makes them very successful predators. Statistically, the African lioness only catches her prey 25% of the time. A great white shark catches its prey 50% of the time, but dragonflies catch their prey 95% of the times. They are very effective hunters.

Kenny Coogan: All right, we’re gonna take a quick break in our conversation to hear a word from our sponsor, and when we return, we will learn if dragonflies can harm you and what harms [00:18:00] dragonflies.

Meet Our Podcast Presenters in Person

John Moore: Have you ever wanted to meet our podcast presenters in person or take workshops from them? You can by going to one of our many Mother Earth News Fairs each year. You can take hands-on workshops, attend information-filled presentations, and shop from our many vendors specializing in DIY ideas, homesteading, and natural health.

Our 2023 fair schedule includes fairs in Kansas, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Learn more about all our fairs by going to www.MotherEarthNewsFair.com. Use the word FAIRGUEST for $5 off a checkout. At whichever fair you choose to join us, we’re looking forward to seeing you there. Come visit your Mother at the 2023 Mother Earth News Fairs.[00:19:00]

Do Dragonflies Bite?

Kenny Coogan: We are back with Virginia Overstreet, a Florida Master Gardener volunteer and a Florida Master Naturalist. Now, we don’t have any two-foot dragonflies anymore. We have two-inch wide dragonflies. But they could be scary, maybe to a small child, and especially like they’re flying patterns. So, can a dragonfly hurt you or bite you?

Virginia Overstreet: No, they can’t bite you. They don’t even have teeth. But what they do have are serrated mandibles. And so this enables them to catch their prey and chew it and eat it. But no, they cannot bite you, so you don’t need to worry about that. But they are prey to other animals or other, you know, in your gardens, birds kill them, frogs, snakes. So, you know, they become prey. So, you know, there’s a food chain out there, and they are part of it. They are predator, and they are prey.

Kenny Coogan: [00:20:00] It’s hard to imagine a snake eating a dragonfly.

Virginia Overstreet: Well, I know. I was, um, again, um, I just wanna tell one more story with my kayaking. I happened to be going down a river, and the current was pretty fast, so I couldn’t stop and observe what I was seeing. But a dragonfly had gotten caught in a spider web, and the spider was attacking that dragonfly. And I would’ve loved to have been able to stop and get a small video with my phone. But again, it was a, um, pretty strong current that day. So I couldn’t, but it was right at eye level and it was, it was really amazing. It was.

Kenny Coogan: Jan Carrington wrote, “I’ve heard that Purple Martin’s prey on dragonflies.” So, Virginia, that’s probably true? At least, birds.

Virginia Overstreet: Yes. Birds like them. They really do. If a bird can catch them, you know, they’re definitely good. And you know, we have to remember, birds need to catch insects and, you know, caterpillars and different things [00:21:00] because, you know, baby birds need protein. So you know it’s a good food source for birds in your landscape.

Kenny Coogan: So don’t be too sad.

Virginia Overstreet: That’s right. That’s exactly right.

Kenny Coogan: Alaine, uh, Keady writes, “If you’re actively trying to reduce mosquito populations with chemicals or biological agents, would that negatively affect dragonflies?”

Virginia Overstreet: It absolutely would. And that’s a really good question because if you’re using chemicals, any types of herbicides to kill, you know, any other insects and then the dragonfly eats those insects, you know, the odds are the dragonfly is going to die. So, you know, I know a lot of people feel like they have to use some herbicides, but no, you don’t. Just, um, you know, just, just stop using them and you’ll be amazed at what wildlife will do for you.

Um, you know, we like to say the good bugs eat the bad bugs, and, but if you really stop with, [00:22:00] with all of the chemicals, um, you’ll, you’ll be amazed at all the different types of wildlife you’ll attract to your gardens, including dragonflies.

Kenny Coogan: Do you know, uh, Bt?

Virginia Overstreet: Uh, yes. I’ve never used it. Now I know a lot of people who have vegetable gardens will use it. I don’t know if that has any long-term effect on dragonflies or not. But I know, um, a lot of people again, who have vegetable gardens will use it, but I don’t know about that.

Kenny Coogan: I’m not too sure either. But it’s all interconnected.

Virginia Overstreet: It absolutely is.

Dragonfly Folklore

Kenny Coogan: Now, uh, @DanaDoxtater wrote that “dragonflies are past souls who come to visit,” and I know several people who, uh, relate to that statement.

Do you know anything about the history or why we refer to dragonflies like that?

Virginia Overstreet: I tell you, there is so much folklore out there about dragonflies. There’s so many people [00:23:00] refer to them as different things. I’ve heard them referred to as snake doctors, and there’s folklore that they will follow a snake that’s inter, that’s injured, and help stitch its wounds together. I don’t know about that. Um, they’re also a symbol of good luck. Some people feel that if you see a swarm of them, it means that rain is coming, and if the swarm is high, it means that rain is coming, but not immediately. But if the swarm is low, the rain is coming soon. They’re also considered a sign of good fishing. And if one lands on your fishing pole, you’re probably going to get a fish.

And when I was little, I enjoyed fishing on our family farm in one of the ponds with my daddy. And as a, as a small child, that was the highlight of my day, when a dragonfly landed on the fishing pole. Not whether or not we caught fish.

They say that if one [00:24:00] lands on you, you’re going to hear good news from a loved one. But if you find a dead one, you’ll hear bad news from a, a loved one. In Asia, they’re definitely considered a source of good fortune. And I recently learned of a Native American myth that they believed that dragonflies were originally just dragons. But a coyote who was considered a trickster in Native American lure tricked a dragon into shapeshifting into a dragonfly, and it couldn’t change back. And so they believe that dragonflies symbolize change, speed, and illusion.

But I really like the idea of a dragonfly being the spirit of a loved one who is passed on, who is coming back to look over us. I really like that idea.

Kenny Coogan: Virginia, can you tell the listeners how many species of [00:25:00] dragonflies there are?

Virginia Overstreet: Well, there are about 5,000 worldwide, but about 450 in North America.

Kenny Coogan: So that’s quite a bit. Where can listeners get more information about attracting dragonflies to their homestead?

Virginia Overstreet: Well, I encourage our listeners to contact their local county extension office and their land grant universities for more information because that will give them ideas for native plants in their area.

But the National Wildlife Federation has a really good article called “Attracting Aerial Acrobats to Your Yard,” and the Migratory Dragonfly Partnership has a very good publication on how to establish and maintain a pond for dragonflies. But there are lots of good resources. Iowa State University maintains a [00:26:00] really good service called BugGuide.net, and it has lots of information about all kinds of different insects, and you can see photos of different types of insects and different types of dragonflies on there.

Kenny Coogan: Thank you so much, Virginia, for speaking with us today. Our conversation on dragonflies has been very insightful.

Virginia Overstreet: Well, thank you, Kenny. I really enjoyed it.

Kenny Coogan: And we thank you, the listener, for joining our podcast and encourage you to share it with your friends, colleagues, and family. To listen to more podcasts and to learn more, visit our website, www.MotherEarthNews.com. You can also follow our social media platforms from that link.

And remember, no matter how brown your thumb is, you can always cultivate kindness.

Cultivate Kindness with More Mother Earth News and Friends

John Moore: You’ve just listened to our episode about dragonflies. You can reach us at [00:27:00] Letters@MotherEarthNews.com with any comments or suggestions. Our podcast production team includes Carla Tilghman, Jessica Mitchell, John Moore, and Kenny Coogan.

Music for this episode is “Travel Light” by Jason Shaw. This Mother Earth News and Friends podcast is a production of Ogden Publications. Learn more about us at www.MotherEarthNews.com.

Until next time, don’t forget to love your Mother.

Meet Virginia Overstreet

Virginia Overstreet is the president of the Suncoast Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society in Hillsborough County. She has been a Florida Master Gardener Volunteer since 2001 and a Florida Master Naturalist since 2018. She gardens to support wildlife and to conserve Florida’s natural resources. She enjoys exploring natural Florida by hiking and kayaking.

Additional Resources

Learn more about dragonflies in “Dazzling Dragonflies.”

 Our Podcast Team:

Carla Tilghman, Jessica Mitchell, John Moore, and Kenny Coogan
Music: “Travel Light” by Jason Shaw

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The Mother Earth News and Friends podcasts are a production of Ogden Publications.

Ogden Publications strives to inspire “can-do communities,” which may have different locations, backgrounds, beliefs, and ideals. The viewpoints and lifestyles expressed within Ogden Publications articles are not necessarily shared by the editorial staff or policies but represent the authors’ unique experiences.