Garden Pond for dragonflies

LCPete · Post by **LCPete** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:52 am

Hi I am going to enlarge our existing pond and make it more suitable for wildlife
Would a 11 foot by 4 foot pond in a sunny site be large enough to attract dragonflies?
We already have Large red Damselflies breeding in our pond and would like to attract dragonflies such as Hawkers to our garden too.
I am redoing the whole of the bottom of the garden and hope to make it more butterfly friendly too.
Pete

Dave Mac · Post by **Dave Mac** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 9:17 am

Hi Pete, we live in the middle of suburbia and have a garden pond that measures 6x4ft. We get southern hawkers (lots), common blue and large red damselflies. Also one year a mallard raised a family in it.
Dave

Post by **Padfield** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 9:58 am

In my experience, irises or some similar sturdy, tall plant, are good in a pond as they allow the nymphs to crawl up out of the water and prepare for final emergence.

Guy

Mike Young · Post by **Mike Young** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 7:25 pm

I have a three year old 6x4 pond in my front garden, so far I've had eleven different Odonata visit, five of which have bred, this included fifteen Southern Hawkers successfully emerging this summer.
And against current advice for such a small pond aimed at wildlife , I did stock it from the outset with goldfish, which have also bred like mad.
It is planted with a variety of water plants which at one stage almost covered the water completely.
On balance the hawker nymphs did use the plants with straighter stems, but not exclusively.

Matsukaze · Post by **Matsukaze** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 9:54 pm

Hi Pete,

The British Dragonfly Society do a leaflet on garden ponds for dragonflies:

http://www.dragonflysoc.org.uk/dap1.html

In my previous house I had a pond a bit smaller than the one you suggested. Large red and azure damselflies bred there every year, making use of the marsh-marigolds for emergence. One year half a dozen broad-bodied chasers emerged from the pond. Various darters and hawkers took an interest, too.

LCPete · Post by **LCPete** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 4:09 pm

Thanks everyone

it looks like the size I'm thinking of will be OK
Going to make a start with it this week.
I've got another pond with fish in so will have somewhere for the frogs to go while I remove the existing pond.
we have had about 5 frogs living in the pond for quite a few years now so hopefully the new pond will be even better for them too.
It would be great to see southern Hawkers breed in the pond I have not seen so many of them around this year.
Pete