Painted Skimmer

Painted Skimmer

Libellula semifasciata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Toronto

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

31 Verified sightings at Toronto
21 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Painted Skimmer

Libellula semifasciata, the painted skimmer, is an uncommon eastern North American skimmer dragonfly, found from New Brunswick, Canada as far south as Texas and Florida. It is a medium-sized species, at 43 mm (1.7 in) long. Each wing is amber coloured at the base and wing tip and has several brown spots. The abdomen has a lateral strip that is white anteriorly and yellow posteriorly. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 New York City 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
2 Philadelphia 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
3 Baltimore 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
4 Boston 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
5 Washington 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 Toronto 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
7 Chicago 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Painted Skimmer in Toronto?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Skimmer sighting in Toronto on a given day, based on 31 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 503rd most-seen of the 1689 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Painted Skimmer in Toronto?

June

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Skimmer in Toronto on a given day, against under 5% in July to May, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Painted Skimmer?

Between noon and 3 pm

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

Is Toronto the best place to see a Painted Skimmer?

Among the best

Of the 7 cities where we can rate Painted Skimmer sightings, Toronto ranks 6th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in New York City (United States, under 5%), Philadelphia (United States, under 5%) and Baltimore (United States, under 5%).

Where does the Painted Skimmer sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Painted Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in Toronto (31 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.

← Back to Toronto