Libellula quadrimaculata
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Libellula quadrimaculata, known in Europe as the four-spotted chaser and in North America as the four-spotted skimmer, is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae found widely throughout Europe, Asia, and North America. The adult stage is found between April and early September in the United Kingdom, and from mid-May to mid-August in Ireland. Larvae have a two-year developmental cycle. Adults feed predominantly on mosquitoes, gnats, and midges; the larvae feed primarily on other aquatic insect larvae and on tadpoles.
There is a variant form, praenubila Newman, which has exaggerated wing spots. This is believed to be related to water temperatures during larval development, and appears to be more common in Europe than in the Americas. The four-spotted skimmer is the state insect of Alaska.
This active dragonfly mainly lives by ponds, vernal pools, and slow flowing rivers; they are most common in June and July. The brown colour and the four spots on the wings makes them very distinguishable but still could be confused with other Chaser Dragonflies.
The male is considered to be highly aggressive and will defend a given territory from incursions... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Isle Royale National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 12 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 13 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 14 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 15 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 17 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 18 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 21 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 23 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Astana | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | |
| 2 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 4 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 6 | Munich | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 8 | Minsk | 🇧🇾 Belarus | |
| 9 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Brussels | 🇧🇪 Belgium |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Four-Spotted Skimmer sighting in Aigüestortes National Park on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 67th most-seen of the 256 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Four-Spotted Skimmer in Aigüestortes National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–May and September–November, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Four-Spotted Skimmer sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 23 parks where we can rate Four-Spotted Skimmer sightings, Aigüestortes National Park ranks 3rd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Elk Island National Park (Canada, about 20%) and Riding Mountain National Park (Canada, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Four-Spotted Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in Aigüestortes National Park (22 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
