What Plants Attract Dragonflies

If you’re looking for a beautiful and effective way to control mosquitoes and other flying pests in your garden, look no further than the dragonfly. These agile predators are nature’s perfect pest control, and you can invite them in by choosing the right plants. Knowing what plants attract dragonflies is the first step to creating a garden that works with nature, not against it.

Dragonflies are not just pretty to watch; they are voracious eaters. A single dragonfly can consume hundreds of mosquitoes each day. To get them to visit and stay, you need to provide the right habitat. This means offering plants for perching, plants for breeding, and plants that attract the smaller insects they feed on. It’s about building a complete ecosystem.

This list focuses on plants that serve the specific needs of dragonflies throughout their life cycle. From tall perches to underwater nurseries, each plant plays a crucial role.

Tall, Stalky Plants for Perching and Hunting

Dragonflies are sun-lovers and need open perches to survey their territory, warm their wings, and spot prey. They prefer slender, vertical stems that they can easily grip.

Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium spp.): This native perennial grows tall with sturdy, hollow stems perfect for perching. Its late-summer blooms also attract butterflies.
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata): A dual-purpose plant! It’s a host for monarch butterflies and its tall, straight stems are favored by dragonflies.
Blazing Star (Liatris spp.): The unique spike-like flowers and strong stems make an excellent lookout post. They’re also drought-tolerant once established.
Bamboo (clumping varieties): Provides excellent vertical structure. Always choose non-invasive, clumping types to avoid it taking over your garden.

Aquatic Plants for Egg-Laying and Nymph Habitat

This is the most critical category. Dragonflies spend the majority of their lives as underwater nymphs, sometimes for years. Without water plants, they cannot reproduce.

Water Lilies (Nymphaea spp.): Their broad leaves provide shade, hiding spots for nymphs, and a platform for adults to rest on. They also help keep water cool.
Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum): A submerged oxygenator. Its dense, bushy foliage offers essential cover for nymphs to hide from fish and other predators.
Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata): A marginal plant with attractive purple spikes. Its submerged stems are ideal for female dragonflies to lay eggs on.
Water Horsetail (Equisetum fluviatile): Provides excellent vertical structure in shallow water, perfect for egg-laying and emerging adults to climb up.

Plants That Attract Prey Insects

A healthy dragonfly population needs a reliable food source. By planting flowers that attract small, soft-bodied insects, you’re setting the dinner table.

Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta): These cheerful flowers are magnets for small pollinators, which in turn attract hungry dragonflies.
Bee Balm (Monarda spp.): Its nectar-rich flowers draw in countless tiny insects, creating a perfect hunting ground overhead.
Goldenrod (Solidago spp.): Contrary to myth, it doesn’t cause hay fever. It supports a huge diversity of insects, providing a feast for dragonflies.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium): Its flat-topped flower clusters are insect landing pads, making the bugs easy to spot from above.

Creating Your Dragonfly Habitat Garden

Now that you know what plants attract dragonflies, it’s time to put them together. Follow these steps to build a successful habitat.

Step 1: Assess Your Space and Add Water

The non-negotiable element is water. Dragonflies need it to breed. If you don’t have a pond, you can create a water feature.

Ideal: A sunny, gently sloping garden pond that’s at least 2 feet deep in the middle. Include shallow edges for marginal plants.
Great Alternative: A large, shallow container like a half-barrel. Sink it into the ground, add aquatic plants, and a few sticks for perching.
Simple Start: A birdbath with a few emergent sticks. While not for breeding, it provides drinking water and can attract hunting adults.

Step 2: Plant in Zones

Think about planting in concentric circles around your water source.

In the Water: Submerged plants (hornwort) and deep-water plants (water lilies).
At the Water’s Edge: Marginal plants (pickerelweed, horsetail) in shallow water or very wet soil.
The First Ring (0-3 feet from water): Plant your tall perchers here (Joe-Pye weed, milkweed).
The Outer Ring (3+ feet from water): Add your prey-attracting flowers (bee balm, goldenrod).

Step 3: Provide Sun and Shelter

Dragonflies are cold-blooded and need sun to become active. Your pond and main perching area should get at least 6 hours of direct sun daily. Also, include a few shrubs or tall grasses nearby to offer shelter from strong winds and predators. Avoid using any pesticides or insecticides, as these can kill dragonfly nymphs and adults, defeating the whole purpose.

Step 4: Maintenance and Patience

Establishing a new ecosystem takes time. Maintain your pond by removing excess algae manually and thinning plants as needed. Be patient. It may take a season or two for dragonflies to find your garden and establish a population. Once they do, you’ll have a self-sustaining pest control system.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even with the right plants, a few errors can prevent success. Here’s what to watch out for.

Using Fish in a Breeding Pond: Many fish, like koi and goldfish, will eat dragonfly eggs and nymphs. If you want fish, stick to very small native species in a large pond.
Over-Manicuring the Edges: Neat, steep pond edges made only of rock offer no place for marginal plants to grow. Create gentle, shallow slopes instead.
Forgetting the Perches: If you don’t have tall plants yet, add some garden stakes or a small trellis near the water to give them a place to land.
Giving Up Too Soon: Habitat gardens aren’t instant. The first year, plants establish. The second year, wildlife moves in. Trust the process.

FAQ: Your Dragonfly Garden Questions Answered

What is the best plant to attract dragonflies?

There’s no single “best” plant, as they need different types. However, if you have water, Water Lilies and Hornwort are arguably the most crucial because they provide essential nymph habitat. For dry land, Joe-Pye Weed is a top perch plant.

What smells attract dragonflies?

Dragonflies aren’t primarily attracted by smell. They are visual hunters attracted to movement and reflective surfaces (like water). The key is providing the right physical habitat—water for breeding and open, sunny perches—not a specific scent. The plants themselves attract the small insects that dragonflies eat.

How do I attract dragonflies but not mosquitoes?

This is the perfect balance! Dragonfly nymphs actually eat mosquito larvae. To prevent mosquitoes, ensure your water isn’t stagnant. Add oxygenating plants like hornwort, use a small solar fountain to create movement, or treat standing water features with Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti), a natural bacteria that kills mosquito larvae but is harmless to dragonflies.

Do dragonflies only live near ponds?

They need freshwater to reproduce, so a breeding population will always be near a water source. However, adult dragonflies can roam far afield to hunt. You might see them in gardens without ponds, but to have them consistently and in numbers, providing water is essential.

What other benifits do dragonflies provide?

Beyond spectacular pest control, they are important bioindicators. Their presence indicates clean water and a healthy ecosystem. They also pollinate some plants as they move from flower to flower hunting, and they serve as a valuable food source for birds and frogs.

Building a garden around the principle of what plants attract dragonflies leads to a more resilient and dynamic outdoor space. You’re not just planting flowers; you’re constructing a living web that manages pests, supports wildlife, and brings endless fascination. Start with a water feature, even a small one, add the layered plants they need, and soon you’ll enjoy the acrobatic flights of these ancient and benefical insects. Your garden will be healthier for it, and you’ll spend less time swatting bugs.