Dragonflies

Dragonflies fascinate me. I have seen more this summer than in past years. It may be because I planted flowers. From my office window, I can watch them darting back and forth throughout the day.  Early this morning, I went out to water the flowers before the heat index reached DEFCON scorched earth, and I saw this fellow on the side of the house.  I saw a second one on the pavement that was a beautiful green.  That photo didn't come out as well, but I'll share it anyway. I hope to get a better one soon.

Isn't he a beauty?

Of course, an added benefit of attracting dragonflies is that they eat mosquitoes.  If you want to attract dragonflies to your yard, consider planting Yarrow, Milkweed, Back-eyed Susan, Meadow Sage, or any other number of pollinator-friendly plants.  It also helps to have a water feature in your yard, such as a birdbath or pond.  Since dragonflies are aquatic and begin their lives in water, this will give them a place to breed.  If you're worried about attracting mosquitoes, mosquito larvae can't thrive in water that's two feet deep, but dragonfly babies can.