On the wings of dragonflies

July 31, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

These insects can be an interesting addition to any garden

By William Hageman

Chicago Tribune

When it comes to dragon- flies, here doesn’t seem to be a middle of the road. They’re sort of like Brussels sprouts or the New York Yankees. You either love them or hate them.

There’s a beauty and grace, yet there’s that inherent creepiness.

Kathy Biggs has seen both sides of the road. Always a fan, she built a garden pond that immediately drew dragonflies.

“My niece was here, and she was afraid of them, so I took her by the hand and showed her [that they were harmless],” says Biggs, who lives in California. “I fell in love with them, started researching them.”

This was in the mid- to late-’90s, when dragonfly information was scarce. So Biggs threw herself into studying them — “they took over my life,” she says — and eventually became an expert.

She has produced three books: two Beginner’s Pocket Guides, “Common Dragonflies of the Southwest” and “Common Dragonflies of California” as well as “Dragonflies of North America: A Color and Learn Book With Activities” (all Azalea Creek Publishing) and two CD-ROMS. She also gives talks around the country.

Like birds and butterflies, dragonflies can be an interesting addition to a garden. Useful too. Biggs says that a dragonfly typically eats 10 to 15 percent of its own weight in prey — including mosquitoes, aphids and other small insects — each day (though one could eat several times its weight if available).

Unlike with birds or butterflies, there are no plants that draw dragonflies to a garden. That’s not necessarily a problem, though. As Biggs says, “all you need is a sunny place for them to perch.”

Creating a welcoming habitat can increase the odds of attracting them. For starters, avoid using any pesticides. Second, consider installing a pond.

The British Dragonfly Society (dragonflysoc.org.uk) has determined the ideal size is 10 feet by 15 feet, Biggs says.

“At that size, you can reach in and get debris. A pond that’s smaller will still attract dragonflies, but raccoons can decimate every square foot of it, and the temperature variations are greater in a smaller pond, which is not so good.”

The pond should have sloped vertical edges, creating shallows, which will be warmer.

One thing to avoid: fish. Koi and other species will make a quick feast of the dragonfly larvae.

As for vegetation, the more the better. Biggs suggests native plants, “plants the dragonflies have evolved with.” Although most species lay their eggs in the water, some lay eggs on plants. The biggest benefit of vegetation, though, is that it gives dragonflies a place to hang out around the pond.

“Some [species] like to perch an inch or two off the water, some need a foot or two,” says Biggs, who uses dead branches from the manzanita, a type of shrub, around her pond. “You also need emerging vegetation so they can come out of the pond [at the end of their larval stage] when they emerge and become dragonflies.”

And for those still a little squeamish about all the darting and buzzing and the vaguely menacing appearance of the dragonfly, lighten up. They don’t attack.

“When I do dragonfly walks, I always try to net at least one and let people put a finger there to feel [what a bite is like],” Biggs says. “I tell people they’ll never land on you and bite you. If I restrain them and put my finger there, they will bite. It’s like pinching your fingernails on the side of your finger.

“Another thing, if you’re handling them they’ll pretend they’re going to sting you. They bend their abdomen and pretend, but they can’t sting you because they don’t have a stinger.”