Libellula pulchella
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The twelve-spotted skimmer (Libellula pulchella) is a common North American skimmer dragonfly, found in southern Canada and in all 48 of the contiguous U.S. states. It is a large species, at 50 mm (2.0 in) long. Each wing has three brown spots. In adult males, additional white spots form between the brown ones and at the bases of the hindwings; it is sometimes called the ten-spot skimmer for the number of these white spots. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Twelve-Spotted Skimmer sighting in Baltimore on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 349th most-seen of the 705 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Twelve-Spotted Skimmer in Baltimore on a given day, against under 5% in September to July, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Twelve-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.
14th of 18
Of the 18 cities where we can rate Twelve-Spotted Skimmer sightings, Baltimore ranks 14th at under 5%. The best odds are in Minneapolis [Saint Paul] (United States, about 10%), Denver (United States, about 10%) and Toronto (Canada, about 10%).
Same genus: Libellula
The closest relatives of the Twelve-Spotted Skimmer that you can see in Baltimore (genus Libellula, Chasers and King Skimmers) are Needham's Skimmer (about 10%) and Great Blue Skimmer (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Twelve-Spotted Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in Baltimore (12 verified sightings), 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.
