The glittering, colorful dragonflies that hover around your yard provide benefits that go beyond their beauty: They're also powerful pest-eaters, eating hundreds of tiny nuisances, like flies and mosquitoes, every day.

These predators have simple habitat requirements—water so their larvae can live and mature, sunshine to power their impressive flights, and flowers that draw the small bugs they rely on for food. It's easy to create a welcoming space in your backyard with these simple, expert-recommended tips.

Jessica Ware, curator and division chair of invertebrate zoology at the American Museum of Natural History.

How Dragonflies Benefit Your Yard and Garden

Dragonflies are known for their shimmering wings and colorful bodies, but they aren't entirely style over substance. "Dragonflies are beautiful to observe, but they also do the important job of consuming the pests we don't like by eating mosquitoes, black flies, midges, and horseflies," says Jessica Ware, curator and division chair of invertebrate zoology at the American Museum of Natural History.

Researchers have identified more than 5,000 species of dragonflies, insects that evolved 300 million years ago. Though early dragonflies are believed to have had wingspans of up to two feet, thankfully, the modern-day dragonflies you're likely to see in your yard have wingspans a fraction of that size: typically two to five inches.

How to Attract Dragonflies

If you want to bring these beautiful insects to your yard, try incorporating some of these tips and ideas into your lawn and garden.

Install a Water Feature

Dragonflies are aquatic insects that thrive near water. Their larvae live under (or near) freshwater sources for weeks, months—or for some species, years—until they reach maturity. "Dragonflies need freshwater to reproduce. You will have more dragonflies in your yard if you install a small (or large!) water feature," says Ware. She recommends a tub-sized water feature with emergent vegetation that provides a habitat for dragonfly larvae. "Location is up to you, as any location would be beneficial to a dragonfly," she says.

Add Plants

Dragonflies are incredibly effective fliers, but they do need to land sometimes. Incorporating any type of flower, shrub, or foliage into your yard allows them space to rest. "Dragonflies don't need particular plants, but they do like to perch on plants that are above the ground, so having flowers and shrubs provides perching habitat for them," says Ware.

Offer Sunny Spots

While dragonflies aren't picky about their requirements for shelter, they do need plenty of sunlight. "Dragonflies like to perch in the sun," says Ware. "To warm up for flight, they use thermal energy from the sun." Plant light-loving flowers and shrubs that offer dragonflies an effective location for soaking up sunshine to fuel their flight.

Encourage Diversity

A perfectly manicured, grass-only yard treated with pesticides won't draw dragonflies. Pesticides and repellents will deter dragonflies the same way they affect other insects, and a landscape with minimal biodiversity won't provide enough food. "As top predators, dragonflies don't thrive in monoculture grass yards," says Ware. "Having a yard with varied habitats will support a lot of different insects for dragonflies to eat."