Eight-Spotted Skimmer

Eight-Spotted Skimmer

Libellula forensis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Seattle

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

433 Verified sightings at Seattle
23 In all 2 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Eight-Spotted Skimmer

The eight-spotted skimmer (Libellula forensis) is a dragonfly of the skimmer family. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Seattle 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
2 Portland 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Vancouver 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
4 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Denver 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Eight-Spotted Skimmer in Seattle?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Eight-Spotted Skimmer sighting in Seattle on a given day, based on 433 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 12th most-seen of the 428 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Eight-Spotted Skimmer in Seattle?

July

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Eight-Spotted Skimmer in Seattle on a given day, against under 5% in October to April, the lowest months. That is one of Seattle's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain against 190 mm in November.

What time of day is best to see an Eight-Spotted Skimmer?

Between 1 and 4 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eight-Spotted Skimmer sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Seattle the best place to see an Eight-Spotted Skimmer?

Yes

Of the 6 cities where we can rate Eight-Spotted Skimmer sightings, Seattle has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Portland (United States, about 10%) and Vancouver (Canada, about 10%).

Where does the Eight-Spotted Skimmer sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Eight-Spotted Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in Seattle (433 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.

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