Evenings find most dragonflies roosting in the low grass and bushes of meadows that border ponds. It is very important to have ponds in the area because dragonflies spend most of their lives as nymphs under the water. When it is time for them to become adults, they emerge from the pond by climbing aquatic plants, shed their exoskeleton, dry their wings and fly away. But, they usually stay in the immediate vicinity of the pond. During late summer and early fall, it is not unusual to find as many as one dragonfly per square yard in the proper habitat.
Butterflies are somewhat more difficult to find than any of the others, but well worth the effort.
Try looking for them in grassy fields. Many butterflies roost quite close to the ground on plant stems. Since butterflies are cold-blooded, they can only fly when their body temperature reaches a certain level. Therefore, you can often find them roosting an hour or two before dark as the air temperature drops. Once you find a roosting butterfly in the evening, you can wait until dark and cut away concealing vegetation without unduly disturbing the creature.