Libellula quadrimaculata
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Libellula quadrimaculata, known in Europe as the four-spotted chaser and in North America as the four-spotted skimmer, is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae found widely throughout Europe, Asia, and North America. The adult stage is found between April and early September in the United Kingdom, and from mid-May to mid-August in Ireland. Larvae have a two-year developmental cycle. Adults feed predominantly on mosquitoes, gnats, and midges; the larvae feed primarily on other aquatic insect larvae and on tadpoles.
There is a variant form, praenubila Newman, which has exaggerated wing spots. This is believed to be related to water temperatures during larval development, and appears to be more common in Europe than in the Americas. The four-spotted skimmer is the state insect of Alaska.
This active dragonfly mainly lives by ponds, vernal pools, and slow flowing rivers; they are most common in June and July. The brown colour and the four spots on the wings makes them very distinguishable but still could be confused with other Chaser Dragonflies.
The male is considered to be highly aggressive and will defend a given territory from incursions... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Isle Royale National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 12 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 13 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 14 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 15 | Grand Teton National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 17 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 18 | Rocky Mountain National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 21 | Yellowstone National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 22 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 23 | Grand Canyon National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Astana | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | |
| 2 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 4 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 6 | Munich | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Vienna | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 8 | Minsk | 🇧🇾 Belarus | |
| 9 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Brussels | 🇧🇪 Belgium |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Four-Spotted Skimmer sighting in Vancouver on a given day, based on 110 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 77th most-seen of the 482 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May to July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Four-Spotted Skimmer in Vancouver on a given day, against under 5% in August to April, the lowest months. Those are among Vancouver's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain a month against 210 mm in November.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Four-Spotted 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.
18th of 39
Of the 39 cities where we can rate Four-Spotted Skimmer sightings, Vancouver ranks 18th at about 10%. The best odds are in Astana (Kazakhstan, about 20%), Anchorage (United States, about 10%) and Novosibirsk (Russia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Four-Spotted Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in Vancouver (110 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.
