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 Boston on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 283rd 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 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July to September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Twelve-Spotted Skimmer in Boston on a given day, against under 5% in October to June, 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.
11th of 18
Of the 18 cities where we can rate Twelve-Spotted Skimmer sightings, Boston ranks 11th 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 Boston (genus Libellula, Chasers and King Skimmers) are Slaty Skimmer (about 10%) and Widow 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 Boston (43 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.
