Harmony Between Dragonflies and Family Farms: Nature’s Pest Control

Hang out around a pond or lake this summer and dragonflies are bound to catch your eye. With their vibrant, sometimes iridescent colors and aerobatic flight patterns, these insects make for quite the spectacle when they’re on the hunt for a meal. That meal can be any day-flying insect, including pesky ones like flies, mosquitoes and gnats, making their presence a great benefit to people and animals.

While dragonfly numbers are declining due to habitat loss and chemical exposure, organic farmers are helping to protect their natural environment so we can all enjoy the wonder and benefits of these impressive insects.

Every creature plays a role on organic farms. By avoiding synthetic chemicals, farmers create safe havens for beneficial species like dragonflies. In return, dragonflies help control harmful insects. This natural balance reflects a commitment to protecting the land and building a food system that supports people, animals and the earth.

Why Are Dragonflies Important?

As a predatory insect, dragonflies offer the best of both worlds: They kill and eat pests but do not bite or sting humans.

Thanks to independent control over the angle and speed of their four wings, dragonflies can fly in any direction up to speeds of 30 mph. Their huge eyes contain up to 30,000 lenses, giving them near 360-degree vision, and they can see color as well as infrared colors invisible to the human eye. These unique characteristics make them highly efficient hunters: They catch up to 95% of their prey.

They’re a particularly effective form of natural mosquito control. In addition to feeding on mosquito larvae as nymphs, one adult dragonfly can consume anywhere from 30 to hundreds of mosquitoes a day!

This pest control is also very important for cow comfort. Bothersome stable flies, no-see-ums and mosquitoes are not only a nuisance — they can seriously impact a cow's health.

Since dragonflies only eat insects that fly, their presence on the farm can be a great benefit to farmers and their livestock.

Organic Valley farmers have witnessed the difference dragonflies have on their cows. Many brooks and streams flow into the Wells River that runs through Kyle Leibold’s organic pasture on his Vermont farm. Along with fireflies and oodles of birds, you can find dragonflies zipping around the stream and cows.

"Dragonflies are our friends because they kill all the bugs that make us crazy — that drive me and the cows crazy,” he said. “They take care of the bugs, and they are neat to watch and see in the pasture."

Dragonflies are also a source of food for other beneficial organisms and wildlife, including birds, frogs, snakes and spiders. In fact, dragonflies are considered an “indicator species” — their presence is a sign of a healthy ecosystem, particularly that of good water quality.

Why Are Dragonflies Usually Near Water?

Dragonflies spend most of their lives as aquatic nymphs, which is why you’re most likely to see them around fresh bodies of water. Adults lay their eggs in or near water. There the eggs hatch into nymphs, which will live there for several months to up to three years. Their diet during this time consists of other aquatic creatures, including mosquito larvae, small fish, worms and tadpoles. When they reach adulthood, they’ll emerge from the water, expand their wings and turn into the impressive fliers we’re all familiar with.

What Kind of Habitat Do Dragonflies Need?

Dragonflies need a source of clean fresh water to thrive. This can be anything from a backyard pond to natural rivers and streams. However, they’re most abundant in standing waters like lakes and wetlands. Vegetation is also important. Plants growing in the water will absorb nutrients, while also cooling and oxygenating the water for nymphs. Plants above the surface provide a location for activities like resting, guarding territory and taking shelter from weather and predators.

With wetlands declining, dragonflies are threatened by habitat loss. Of their habitat that remains, they face poor water quality due to pollutants like pesticides. As of 2021, 16% of dragonflies and damselflies in the world were at risk of extinction, with pesticides, other pollutants and climate change being the greatest threats to them in North America.

How Does Organic Farming Benefit Dragonflies?

On organic farms, nature is a partner. Organic farmers avoid using harmful pesticides on their crops and pasture. This protects dragonflies and other predatory insects both on their farm and miles away. Thanks to their efforts in creating a clean, chemical-free environment, organic pasture is rich in biodiversity — 34% more than conventional farms. Dragonflies are just one of many species that can be found on organic farms.

There are plenty of dragonflies buzzing around Organic Valley farmer Maynard Mallonee’s farm in Washington. “They are very cool, they look cool, and they buzz around with those see-through wings,” he said.

Many Organic Valley farmers go beyond organic farming practices to support the environment, including the Mallonee family. They planted trees and shrubs in the riparian zone — the area adjacent to fresh water — along the south fork of the Chehalis River, which flows through their farm and eventually empties into the Pacific Ocean.

Restored riparian zones protect fresh water sources from erosion and provide habitat for wildlife like dragonflies. Native perennial grasses in the zones also offer an additional source of food for grazing cows. On the Mallonee farm, this eco-friendly initiative also created a more favorable habitat for native fish, which rely on dragonflies as part of their diet.

Dragonfly or Damselfly?

Dragonflies and the closely related damselflies are ancient species, and both are among the oldest insects to take flight. Today, there are around 7,000 species of dragonflies worldwide, and they can be found on every continent except Antarctica.

Dragonflies and damselflies are very similar, as they both belong to the order Odonata, but they do have a few key differences. Damselflies are smaller than dragonflies, about a half inch shorter in length, and they have slimmer bodies. Dragonflies have huge eyes that take up most of their head, while damselflies’ eyes are smaller and have space between them. One of the easiest ways to tell the difference between the two is to observe their wings at rest. Damselflies will fold their wings into their bodies, while dragonflies keep their wings open.

What Do Dragonflies Symbolize?

Dragonflies are not only important for the environment, but they’re also significant for many cultures.

They symbolize pure water for Navajo Native Americans, while the Pueblos view them as messengers that can bring blessings to people. In Asian cultures, the Chinese view dragonflies as an agent of change, while in Japan they represent birth, courage and strength.

Not all cultures see dragonflies in a positive light, though. Europeans used to call them the “devil’s darning needle” and “horse stinger,” believing they could sew people’s eyes, lips and ears shut.

How To Create a Dragonfly Garden

Install a pond or water feature. Since clean water is vital to the dragonfly lifecycle, a permanent body of water is a must in creating a dragonfly habitat. Unless your backyard already has a lake or stream running through it, installing a pond would be ideal for both nymphs and adult dragonflies, as most species prefer still water.

According to the Xerces Society, a dragonfly pond does not have to be very large — the minimum viable area is estimated to be just 43 square feet. Its water depth should vary so that nymphs have access to both warm and cooler spots, as well as safety from predators. Penn State Extension recommends that the pond not be too close to deciduous trees, as their leaves could overload the water with nutrients. Placing the pond in a sunny spot is also ideal for dragonfly basking.

Add a variety of vegetation. Xerces Society recommends that 50% to 70% of the pond has aquatic vegetation, with 25% to 50% being submerged plants, 10% to 25% floating plants and 5% emergent. Duckweed and azolla are ideal floating plants, while spotted joe-pye weed, sweet flag, soft rush and pickerel weed are emergent plants known to attract dragonflies. Broad waterweed, Eastern purple bladderwort, Illinois pondweed hornwort and common water milfoil are some submergent options, but always use plants that are native to your area to support the local food web and prevent the spread of invasive species.

Plant shrubs and evergreens near the pond to help provide protection from wind.

Place flat stones and sticks in and around the pond, which can serve as places for dragonflies to bask and perch.

Where To See Dragonflies This Summer

If you don’t have a backyard or installing a pond is not feasible, you can still find dragonflies anywhere there is a body of fresh water in the summer. But if you want to view a diversity of species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends four national wildlife refuges:

• Pakota River National Wildlife Refuge in Indiana. You can find 30 dragonfly and 13 damselfly species in this refuge, including the orange-and-black-winged Halloween Pennant, which can be spotted mid-June through early October.
• Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico. This refuge typically hosts a dragonfly festival every September, but the peak season to view the 60 dragonfly species found here is in July and August. Be on the lookout for the rare Bleached Skimmer.
• Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in Texas is home to species like the wandering glider and red saddlebag.
• Desert National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Nevada. Over 30 dragonfly species have been documented in the four refuges that make up this complex.

Other Ways To Support Dragonflies

• Don’t use pesticides and other pollutants like fertilizers, which can run off the soil and contaminate freshwater.
• Protect local wetlands. There are several ways you can help conserve local wetlands, such as finding volunteering opportunities to improve degraded wetlands or create new ones, following Leave No Trace principles when enjoying wetlands, and educating kids on the importance of these habitats.
• Reduce your carbon footprint. Climate change can not only affect water levels in wetlands but may increase larval mortality and affect dragonflies’ morphology. Taking public transportation, composting food and using cold water for laundry are just a few ways to reduce your carbon footprint and help offset climate change.
• Buy organic. When you purchase organic products, such as those from Organic Valley, you support farmers who are doing their part to protect dragonflies. Greenhouse gas emissions are 24% lower on organic dairy farms, and organic pasture provides a healthy habitat for all kinds of beneficial organisms.

Dragonflies are important insects for the ecosystem. Not only are they a delight to witness, but they help keep pests under control, providing comfort to humans and animals. By protecting wetlands and creating clean water sources for them, we can help these amazing creatures thrive.