Plants That Will Attract Dazzling Dragonflies To Your Garden

Dragonflies are beloved for their unique bodies, unmatched flying skills, and glistening colors. Today, there are more than 5,000 known species of dragonflies that zip around ponds and lakes all over the world. Whether you're a newbie to attracting and watching dragonflies or a seasoned chaser, it's never too late to learn about the plants you can grow at home to invite more of these delightful creatures to your yard.

One thing to consider first, however, is the other insects that are already using your garden for food. Dragonflies are carnivorous predators and they've been known to consume pollinators as well as beneficial insects. They will not differentiate between helpful and destructive bugs in your garden, so while they do like mosquitoes and gnats, they'll also snack on butterflies and bees when they get the chance. As you peruse this list of plants that entice dragonflies, think about your garden's existing ecosystem, the plants it can support, and other things dragonflies like such as water features. Doing this before planting will ensure that your garden turns into a dragonfly paradise with just a bit of effort.

Yarrow plants (Achillea spp.) are known for appealing to beneficial insects such as bees, butterflies, and parasitic wasps. However, those aren't the only bugs that love the plant. Dragonflies also enjoy eating the pollinators that eat yarrow's pollen, and they are specifically attracted to the flat clusters of flowers that act like a landing pad for them.

Bloom Season: Mid-spring to early fall

USDA Growing Zone: 4 to 8

Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade

Soil Type: Nutrient-poor and dry

Size: 2 to 3 feet tall and 1 foot wide

Siberian irises (Iris sibirica), which grow best in rain gardens, around ponds, or near water features, are a must-plant if you are trying to draw dragonflies to your yard. Dragonflies already like to be near water to raise their aquatic babies, so it only makes sense to plant flowers like this that enjoy being near the water too.

Bloom Season: Spring and summer

USDA Growing Zone: 4 to 9

Growing Conditions: Full sun

Soil Type: Rich and well-draining

Size: Up to 2 feet tall

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea) may be a surprising addition to this list, but it makes a lot of sense for attracting dragonflies if you want to deter them from snacking on important pollinators. Broccoli does not need pollination to grow, but they are affected by aphids and white caterpillars that eat their foliage. These also lure in hungry dragonflies which will in turn protect your broccoli from pests.

Bloom Season: Spring

USDA Growing Zone: 6 to 9

Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade

Soil Type: Moist and well-draining

Size: Up to 2 feet tall and wide

Meadow sage (Salvia nemorosa) blooms in the summer bringing out a range of animals and insects that enjoy the pollen it produces as well as the taste of its flowers and foliage. Most often, meadow sage attracts butterflies and bees, and the presence of pollinators also brings the carnivorous dragonflies searching for a meal.

Bloom Season: Summer

USDA Growing Zone: 3 to 8

Growing Conditions: Full sun

Soil Type: Well-draining clay or sand

Size: 8 to 12 inches tall and 12 inches wide

Borage (Borago officinalis) is an edible flower typically used in salads and drinks, or as a garnish for other dishes. It can be identified by its roughly textured green leaves and bright blue flowers. In some parts of North America, this plant is considered invasive, so you should be careful where you plant it.

Bloom Season: Spring and summer

USDA Growing Zone: 2 to 11

Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade

Soil Type: Well-draining and sandy

Size: 3 feet tall

Cattails (Typha latifolia) require wet soil and lots of access to water, so they're a great option for a garden with a pond, large water feature, or stream running through it. Because they share the same habitat with dragonflies and provide them with shelter, the brilliantly winged insects are easily beckoned to a grove of cattails.

Bloom Season: Summer

USDA Growing Zone: 3 to 10

Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade

Soil Type: Wet and loamy

Size: 4 to 6 feet tall and wide

Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta) are a popular choice for gardeners looking to invite dragonflies to their yards. The flowers offer a landing pad for dragonflies as well as a place to drink as they rest their wings. Black-eyed Susans are also very easy to grow, so you'll have no problem raising a bunch of them for these large insects to hangout on.

Bloom Season: Summer to fall

USDA Growing Zone: 3 to 10

Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade

Soil Type: Well-drained clay, loam, or sand

Size: 1 to 3 feet tall

Asiatic lilies (Lilium spp.) are known for their gorgeous blossoms that can feature many different colors and patterns depending on the cultivar you choose. They usually bloom in the middle of summer and their flowers can reach up to 6 inches in diameter. The giant blossoms easily attract beautiful pollinators like butterflies as well as other fascinating insects such as dragonflies.

Bloom Season: Summer

USDA Growing Zone: 4 to 8

Growing Conditions: Full sun

Soil Type: Average and consistently moist

Size: 24 to 36 inches tall

Native to wet meadows and swamps, swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) is among the best plants to appeal to your favorite fliers. Milkweed is a food source and larval host for some butterfly species, which are eaten by dragonflies. Additionally, the wet environment where it grows is also attractive to mosquitos that are eaten by the predatory bugs as well.

Bloom Season: Summer

USDA Growing Zone: 3 to 6

Growing Conditions: Full sun

Soil Type: Average medium to wet soil

Size: 3 to 4 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide

Wild celery (Vallisneria americana), also known as tape-grass, American eelgrass, and water celery, is an important plant for insects and wildlife that live around shallow water that has sandy or mucky soil beneath it. Wild celery is an especially good option for dragonflies because it shelters their aquatic babies who hide in the foliage and eventually climb the plant when they're ready to fly.

Bloom Season: Summer

USDA Growing Zone: 4 to 10

Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade

Soil Type: Grows in water

Size: Up to 6 feet tall

The purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is a long-blooming and especially popular garden plant favored for its low-maintenance habit and pretty flowers. These coneflowers are also known for their drought tolerance and ability to keep deer at bay. In the summer, the plant draws butterflies and other pollinators with its dependable nectar sources.

Bloom Season: Mid-summer to late fall

USDA Growing Zone: 3 to 9

Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade

Soil Type: Evenly moist and well-draining

Size: 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide

The American white waterlily (Nymphaea odorata) might be the first plant you think of when you consider what dragonflies are attracted to. Its large flowers and floating foliage allow the insects to rest, drink, and feed before flying over large or small bodies of water. Keep in mind, these plants bring more than dragonflies; they are also loved by bees, turtles, and birds.

Bloom Season: Summer to early fall

USDA Growing Zone: 4 to 11

Growing Conditions: Full sun

Soil Type: Standing water or moist and mucky soil

Size: 2 to 20 feet long

Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium maculatum), also known as queen of the meadow, is a wildflower that can be planted in wet areas. Its clusters of small pink to white flowers blossom in the summer and stay until the end of fall. They are a food source for bees and butterflies, and are a great addition to a native, pollinator, or rain garden.

Bloom Season: Summer and fall

USDA Growing Zone: 3 to 8

Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade

Soil Type: Average wet or moist

Size: 4 to 7 feet tall and 3 to 4 feet wide

Broadleaf arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia), which is native to the wet areas of eastern and central North America, is best described as a vigorously-growing aquatic herbaceous perennial that produces edible tubers. This plant normally grows partially submerged underwater, so it is often sought out by dragonflies and nymphs who use it for shelter.

Bloom Season: Summer

USDA Growing Zone: 5 to 10

Growing Conditions: Full sun

Soil Type: Grows in water

Size: 1 to 4 feet tall and 1 to 3 feet wide

New York aster (Symphyotrichum novi-belgii) is a daisy-like plant that shows off purple or white petals and a yellow center in the fall. It always grows near a water source so you may find it around marshes and shores. Unsurprisingly, the flowers attract pollinators as they bloom, however, you might not know that it is a host plant for the pearl crescent butterfly.

Bloom Season: Fall

USDA Growing Zone: 4 to 8

Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade

Soil Type: Well-draining and consistently moist

Size: 3 to 5 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide

Ironweed plants (Vernonia fasciculata) are named for their sturdy stems and aggressive spreading, so not everyone realizes how beautiful their flowers are. Ironweed produces bright clusters of purple flowers blooming through July, August, and September. They normally tower over other flowers, so they are immediately alluring to lots of insects, including dragonflies.

Bloom Season: Late summer

USDA Growing Zone: 3 to 7

Growing Conditions: Full sun

Soil Type: Average and moist

Size: 4 to 6 feet tall

Pickerel weed (Pontederia cordata) is an herbaceous perennial that is grown as a water plant in ponds and other shallow water features. It flowers from June to October as it shows off light blue flower spikes above glossy green foliage on which dragonflies often lay their eggs.

Bloom Season: Summer to fall

USDA Growing Zone: 3 to 10

Growing Conditions: Full sun

Soil Type: Rich, wet organic loam

Size: 2 to 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide

Muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) is a species of ornamental grass that produces pink and green foliage. It grows well in dry climates with warm weather, however, it is known to grow in a variety of environments that offer different types of sunlight, water, and soil. Per Clemson Cooperative Extension, muhly grass makes a good addition to a rain garden.

Bloom Season: Fall

USDA Growing Zone: 5 to 11

Growing Conditions: Full sun to partial shade

Soil Type: Well-draining sand or gravel

Size: 2 to 3 feet tall and wide

Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) is named for its use by Native Americans who relied on the root to remedy rattlesnake bites. Now we know this is a misconception, but it is true that the plant was used medicinally in the past. Today, the rattlesnake master is grown ornamentally for its golf ball-like flowers that attract bees, flies, wasps, and butterflies along with dragonflies.

Bloom Season: Summer

USDA Growing Zone: 3 to 8

Growing Conditions: Full sun

Soil Type: Average garden or sandy soil

Size: 3 feet tall and 2 to 3 feet wide

The yellow coneflower (Echinacea paradoxa) is related to the purple coneflower and the narrow-leaved coneflower, although it does not produce purple petals. The flowers, which are sometimes 6 inches across, are delightfully fragrant and favored by butterflies, bees, and other insects. Like other species of Echinacea, this coneflower is easily grown, low-maintenance, and tolerant of neglect.

Bloom Season: Early summer

USDA Growing Zone: 3 to 9

Growing Conditions: Full sun

Soil Type: Humus-rich and well-draining

Size: 18 to 36 inches tall