Platycnemis pennipes
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The white-legged damselfly or blue featherleg (Platycnemis pennipes) is a damselfly of slow-flowing, muddy waters. It occurs from the Atlantic to Siberia and is often abundant throughout its range. Platycnemis pennipes is about 32 millimetres (1.3 in) long. Mature adults differ from most other blue damselflies in having expanded white edges to the tibiae, paired black markings down most of the abdomen, broad pale brown double antehumeral stripes, wider head and a pale brown pterostigmata.
The male has a blue abdomen that is often pale and usually has a greenish thorax. The female is a very pale yellow-green colour with black markings. This species favours unshaded slow-flowing sections of muddy rivers with abundant floating vegetation. it has been recorded in tidal rivers and the larvae seem well able to tolerate brackish water. It also occurs in muddy streams but is rare in lakes or ponds of any sort. In north-west Europe, it is mostly confined to flowing waters.
The males are very territorial and use their enlarged legs to impress other individuals. Elongated eggs are laid whilst in tandem, into emergent stems and especially the underside of floating... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Plitvice Lakes National Park | 🇭🇷 Croatia | |
| 3 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 6 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 7 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 8 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Featherleg sighting in Kharkiv on a given day, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 31st most-seen of the 289 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and June
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Featherleg in Kharkiv on a given day, against under 5% in October to April, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue Featherleg sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 23 cities where we can rate Blue Featherleg sightings, Kharkiv has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Turin (Italy, about 20%) and Kyiv (Ukraine, about 20%).
Same order: Odonata
The closest relatives of the Blue Featherleg that you can see in Kharkiv (order Odonata, Dragonflies and Damselflies) are Blue-Tailed Damselfly (about 20%), Black-Tailed Skimmer (about 20%) and Scarce Chaser (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue Featherleg is recorded against all the insects logged in Kharkiv (34 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.
