Aeshna interrupta
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The variable darner (Aeshna interrupta) is a dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae, native from Alaska through the Northwest Territories to Newfoundland, south to New Hampshire and Michigan in the eastern United States, and to the mountains of New Mexico, Arizona, and California in the west. It's named after the distinctive broken stripes on the sides of the thorax of many male specimens. It lives in many habitats from northern and mountain peatlands to cattail marshes and temporary pools. It is the characteristic species of grassland ponds. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Darner sighting in Edmonton on a given day, based on 60 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 42nd most-seen of the 390 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Darner in Edmonton on a given day, against under 5% in October to June, the lowest months. Those are among Edmonton's wettest months, with about 75 mm of rain a month against 20 mm in February.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Variable Darner sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 6 cities where we can rate Variable Darner sightings, Edmonton ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Anchorage (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Variable Darner is recorded against all the insects logged in Edmonton (60 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.
