Twelve-Spotted Skimmer

Twelve-Spotted Skimmer

Libellula pulchella

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Dallas

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

42 Verified sightings at Dallas
114 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Twelve-Spotted Skimmer

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 →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
2 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
5 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Minneapolis [Saint Paul] 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Denver 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
5 Sacramento 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
8 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Detroit 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Portland 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Twelve-Spotted Skimmer in Dallas?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Twelve-Spotted Skimmer sighting in Dallas on a given day, based on 42 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 421st most-seen of the 1412 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.

When is the best time to see a Twelve-Spotted Skimmer in Dallas?

September

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Twelve-Spotted Skimmer in Dallas on a given day, against under 5% in October to August, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Twelve-Spotted Skimmer?

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.

Is Dallas the best place to see a Twelve-Spotted Skimmer?

15th of 18

Of the 18 cities where we can rate Twelve-Spotted Skimmer sightings, Dallas ranks 15th 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%).

Which relatives of the Twelve-Spotted Skimmer live in Dallas?

Same genus: Libellula

The closest relatives of the Twelve-Spotted Skimmer that you can see in Dallas (genus Libellula, Chasers and King Skimmers) are Widow Skimmer (about 20%), Neon Skimmer (about 10%) and Comanche Skimmer (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Twelve-Spotted Skimmer sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Twelve-Spotted Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in Dallas (42 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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