There is something about the glistening of dragonflies' wings as they hover in the garden that epitomizes summer and long, hot, lazy days outdoors.  

The beautiful male dragonflies dart from their perches on grass and reeds to ward off other possible invading males from their territory, while the females fly freely from territory to territory, in search of a suitable mate. 

Not every garden is suited to attracting these creatures, but if you have the space, the best way to attract them to your garden is to create the right sort of habitat for them. 
Here are a few pointers as to how you could go about this:
  • Water is an important ingredient in the garden for the life cycle of the dragonfly.  A water feature does not have to be very big, but it should be in a spot where there is plenty of sun and a fair amount of shelter from the wind.
  • Plant plenty of grasses and reeds around the water as perches for the dragonflies.  Rocks and driftwood in a sunny spot are also excellent perches.
  • Attract other insects (dragonfly prey) to the area by planting insect pollinated plants around the water feature.
  • The larval nymphs of the dragonfly are aquatic, clinging to submerged vegetation or debris or submerging themselves in the mud and plant detritus on the bottom, and grabbing passing prey.  Your water feature should contain some or all of these elements to create habitat for the nymphs.  Plant grass and reeds right up to the water's edge and even partly in the water, as once the nymphs are ready to leave the water to become adults, they will need an easy and protected place to make this change from water to land.
  • As with all insects, spraying of poisons must be avoided at all costs.  Not only would the dragonflies be poisoned directly, but also indirectly by the killing off of other insects which these creatures feed on.