Great Spreadwing

Great Spreadwing

Archilestes grandis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Chicago

In 3 days ~10%

8 Verified sightings at Chicago
179 In all 4 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Great Spreadwing

The great spreadwing (Archilestes grandis) is a damselfly in the family Lestidae. When great spreadwings are startled they often return to the same perch or a perch nearby. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
4 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Denver 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 San José 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
3 Dallas 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 San Salvador 🇸🇻 El Salvador
~10%
6 Austin 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 Guadalajara 🇲🇽 México
<5%
9 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Monterrey 🇲🇽 México
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Great Spreadwing in Chicago?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Great Spreadwing sighting in Chicago on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 814th most-seen of the 978 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Great Spreadwing in Chicago?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Great Spreadwing in Chicago on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Great Spreadwing?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Great Spreadwing 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 Chicago the best place to see a Great Spreadwing?

12th of 13

Of the 13 cities where we can rate Great Spreadwing sightings, Chicago ranks 12th at under 5%. The best odds are in Denver (United States, about 20%), San José (Costa Rica, about 10%) and Dallas (United States, about 10%).

Where does the Great Spreadwing sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Great Spreadwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Chicago (8 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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