Eight-Spotted Skimmer

Eight-Spotted Skimmer

Libellula forensis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Vancouver

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

287 Verified sightings at Vancouver
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 Vancouver?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eight-Spotted Skimmer sighting in Vancouver on a given day, based on 287 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 20th most-seen of the 482 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

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

July

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Eight-Spotted Skimmer in Vancouver on a given day, against under 5% in September to May, the lowest months. That is one of Vancouver's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 210 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 Vancouver the best place to see an Eight-Spotted Skimmer?

3rd of 6

Of the 6 cities where we can rate Eight-Spotted Skimmer sightings, Vancouver ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Seattle (United States, about 20%) and Portland (United States, 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 Vancouver (287 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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