Halloween Pennant

Halloween Pennant

Celithemis eponina

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Boston

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

32 Verified sightings at Boston
1,281 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Halloween Pennant

The Halloween pennant (Celithemis eponina) is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is native to eastern North America, as well as the West Indies. The Halloween pennant's wings are entirely orange-yellow in color with dark brown bands, the Halloween inspiration for its common name. Dragonflies of its genus perch at the tips of plants, waving in the breeze like pennants. The young has yellow markings, including a stripe on its back. The adult male and female may develop pale red markings, especially on the face. This species is about 38 to 42 millimetres (1.5 to 1.7 in) long.

This species occurs in eastern North America. In the southern part of its range of The Bahamas and Cuba, it is in season all year round. In northern latitudes it can be seen from mid-June to mid-August. It ranges as far north as southern Canada and as far west as the United States east of the Rocky Mountains, in New Mexico and Colorado. It lives in wet habitat types such as ponds, marshes and lakes, where it perches sometimes on vegetation.

The female lays eggs in the morning on open water with the male still attached at the head. This... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~50%
2 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
~50%
3 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
5 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Miami 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Orlando 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Austin 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Houston 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Dallas 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Denver 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
9 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Halloween Pennant in Boston?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Halloween Pennant sighting in Boston on a given day, based on 32 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 371st most-seen of the 1200 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Halloween Pennant in Boston?

July

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Halloween Pennant in Boston on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Halloween Pennant?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Halloween Pennant sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Boston the best place to see a Halloween Pennant?

10th of 15

Of the 15 cities where we can rate Halloween Pennant sightings, Boston ranks 10th at under 5%. The best odds are in Miami (United States, about 20%), Orlando (United States, about 10%) and Austin (United States, about 10%).

Where does the Halloween Pennant sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Halloween Pennant is recorded against all the insects logged in Boston (32 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.

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