Anax junius
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The green darner or common green darner (Anax junius), after its resemblance to a darning needle, is a species of dragonfly in the family Aeshnidae. One of the most common and abundant species throughout North America, it also ranges south to Panama. It is well known for its great migration distance from the northern United States south into Texas and Mexico. It also occurs in the Caribbean, Tahiti, and Asia from Japan to mainland China. It is the official insect for the state of Washington in the United States.
The green darner is a large dragonfly; males grow to 8 cm (3.1 in) in length with a wingspan up to 10 cm (4 in). Females oviposit in aquatic vegetation, eggs laid beneath the water surface. Nymphs (naiads) are aquatic carnivores, feeding on insects, tadpoles, and small fish. Adult darners catch insects on the wing, including ant alates, moths, mosquitoes, and flies.
Dru Drury described this species as Libellula junius in 1773. There are not currently any recognized subspecies. Common green darners are commonly found throughout... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 14 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Torreón | 🇲🇽 México |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Green Darner sighting in Seattle on a given day, based on 70 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 90th most-seen of the 428 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May to August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Green Darner in Seattle on a given day, against under 5% in September to April, the lowest months. Those are among Seattle's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain a month against 190 mm in November.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Green 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.
23rd of 33
Of the 33 cities where we can rate Common Green Darner sightings, Seattle ranks 23rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Sacramento (United States, about 20%), Minneapolis [Saint Paul] (United States, about 20%) and Austin (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Aeshnidae
The closest relatives of the Common Green Darner that you can see in Seattle (family Aeshnidae, Darners) are Blue-Eyed Darner (about 10%) and California Darner (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Green Darner is recorded against all the insects logged in Seattle (70 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.
