Hi there Jane! I have newspaper under the new dirt, it creates a barrier for a while and also kills the grass so if you don't need to dig too deep it makes things easier! I also like how it eventually composts itself so i am adding to the earth at the same time! I used fabric weed barrier near the back of the falls because i have been fighting a thistle infestation for a few years now, my previous neighbour just let them grow and seed and they are so hard to get rid of!! Good luck with your pond! :) I hope you get some good rainfall soon! Violet

Hi! I'm hoping somebody else has seen these beauties... I was drinking coffee by the pond this morning, watching my fish eat breakfast, when a big purple dragonfly zoomed by. I didn't even know there was such a thing as a purple dragonfly! I took some pics and got online to try to ID it. Turns out its listed as a vulnerable species in its native Florida. So, what's it doing in Central Louisiana?!? There's more!... It flew around in circles at the perimeter of the pond, and then I saw it hitch up and mate with a yellow-brown dragonfly. I read on the internet that the female of this species is that color. I have green dragonflies, blue dragonflies, and now this purple one. I hope it stays. I'll try to link the pics I took this morning. Has anybody else outside of Florida seen this dragonfly? Here is a link that might be useful: Purple dragonfly pics

Some dragonflies can be found quite a distance from water, especially on cloudy days - it sounds as if you are already attracting them to your property. I'm not aware of any particular type of plant that they prefer. I get the most in the un-mown areas of my yard, I would think that it probably provides the most insects. And they do like to perch on the tall stems. I also get cruisers that cruise back and forth across the hill where the grass is mown. They tend to perch high in the trees. The eastern amberwings seem to prefer shorter vegetation that is a little sparser. Dragonflies are like so many other species in nature, there is a niche for them all! So I'm not sure there is any one plant that is good, I think a variety of vegatation is probably the best.

That is the strangest looking dragonfly I have ever seen. Very cool looking. We only have a couple different kinds around here. I have seen the fire engine red ones and fluorescent green ones, very pretty, but mostly the blue/green ones that get very big. We love them, my daughters and I always play with them when we are at the pool.