{"id":20525,"date":"2024-07-29T12:53:37","date_gmt":"2024-07-29T16:53:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meadowsfarms.com\/great-big-greenhouse-gardening-blog\/?p=20525"},"modified":"2024-07-29T12:53:37","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T16:53:37","slug":"dragonflies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meadowsfarms.com\/great-big-greenhouse-gardening-blog\/dragonflies\/","title":{"rendered":"Dragonflies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Well, the new, larger birdbath in my backyard is working. Yesterday evening, I saw two dragonflies! Don’t you find something a little bit magical about them?<\/p>\n

Dragonflies – Millions of Years Old<\/h3>\n

Dragonflies are an ancient family of insects. They were around 300 million years ago! They were much bigger then, though, with a wingspan as long as your arm! These days, they range in size from one to three inches, though there are a few tropical species up to almost six inches long.<\/p>\n

How Dragonflies Help Us<\/h3>\n

Adult dragonflies are predators, feeding primarily on mosquitoes, flies, cicadas, and Japanese beetles. Since their young are aquatic, they are found near water sources, feeding on aquatic insects, including mosquito larvae.<\/p>\n

Helicopters of the Insect Kingdom<\/h3>\n

Dragonflies are the helicopters of the insect kingdom\u2014flying up, down, forwards, backward, and even side-to-side. They can even fly upside down if necessary. They can fly up to 30 miles an hour. They can see nearly 360 degrees and use about 75% of their brain to interpret what they see. This makes them fierce and swift predators\u2014even capable of calculating their prey’s speed and direction. They can eat hundreds of mosquitoes a day.<\/p>\n

How to Attract Dragonflies<\/h3>\n

To attract these beauties to your yard, you must have a pond, large birdbath, or other water feature. If you like, add a few plants around the water. This will provide them with cover from birds, their main predator. Fish and frogs eat dragonfly eggs, so if you’re trying to attract them, keep them out of your water source.<\/p>\n

Giving Thanks to Those Mosquito-Eating Helicopters<\/h3>\n

Whether you try to attract dragonflies or enjoy them when they happen by, wish them well and “bon appetite.”<\/p>\n

To read more posts from Bonnie, visit our blog<\/a><\/p>\n

Return to the Great Big Greenhouse homepage<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Well, the new, larger birdbath in my backyard is working. Yesterday evening, I saw two dragonflies! Don’t you find something a little bit magical about them? Dragonflies – Millions of Years Old Dragonflies are an ancient family of insects. They were around 300 million years ago! They were much bigger then, though, with a wingspan … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":20526,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDragonflies - The Great Big Greenhouse Gardening Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Well, the new, larger birdbath I installed in my backyard is working. 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