Libellula saturata
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The flame skimmer or firecracker skimmer (Libellula saturata) is a common dragonfly of the family Libellulidae, native to western North America. Male flame skimmers are known for their entirely red or dark orange body, this includes eyes, legs, and even wing veins. Females are usually a medium or darker brown with some thin, yellow markings. This particular type of skimmer varies in size but is generally measured somewhere between 2 and 3 inches (5.1 and 7.6 cm) long. The naiads are known for being rather large and chubby-looking due to their rounded abdomen. They are covered with hair but, unlike most young dragonflies, they lack hooks or spines.
Due to its choice habitat of warm ponds, streams, or hot springs, flame skimmers are found mainly in the southwestern part of the United States. They also make their homes in public gardens or backyards. An immature flame skimmer (nymph) feeds mainly on aquatic insects. Its diet consists of mosquito larvae, aquatic fly larvae, mayfly larvae, freshwater shrimp, small fish, and tadpoles. The nymphs, which live in the mud at the bottom of warm streams or ponds, catch their prey by waiting... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Zion National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Flame Skimmer sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 758 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 35th most-seen of the 737 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Flame Skimmer in San Francisco on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, the lowest months. Those are among San Francisco's driest months, with almost no rain against 110 mm in December.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Flame 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.
7th of 10
Of the 10 cities where we can rate Flame Skimmer sightings, San Francisco ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Sacramento (United States, about 20%), Las Vegas (United States, about 20%) and Portland (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Flame Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in San Francisco (758 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.
