Coenagrion pulchellum
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The variable damselfly or variable bluet (Coenagrion pulchellum) is a European damselfly. Despite its name, it is not the only blue damselfly prone to variable patterning. Its behaviour is much like that of the azure damselfly; it usually stays close to vegetation. Immatures are often found in adjacent meadows or uncut grassy areas. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 2 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 4 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Copenhagen | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 2 | Amsterdam | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 3 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 4 | Moscow | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 5 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 6 | Rotterdam [The Hague] | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 7 | Kazan | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 8 | Nizhny Novgorod | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 9 | Saint Petersburg | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 10 | Warsaw | 🇵🇱 Poland |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Bluet sighting in Helsinki on a given day, based on 56 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 100th most-seen of the 838 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.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Bluet in Helsinki on a given day, against under 5% in August to April, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Variable Bluet sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 12 cities where we can rate Variable Bluet sightings, Helsinki ranks 3rd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Copenhagen (Denmark, about 10%) and Amsterdam (Netherlands, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Variable Bluet is recorded against all the insects logged in Helsinki (56 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.
