Libellula vibrans
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The great blue skimmer (Libellula vibrans) is a dragonfly of the skimmer family. With a total length of 50 to 63 millimetres (2.0 to 2.5 in), it is one of the largest skimmers. The immature forms of the skimmer are brown in color and mature forms are blue-hued. This species is found near lakes, ponds, and slow streams in the eastern United States and rarely in southern Ontario.
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| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Great Blue Skimmer sighting in Washington on a given day, based on 444 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 82nd most-seen of the 1807 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Great Blue Skimmer in Washington on a given day, against under 5% in October to May, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Great Blue Skimmer sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 10 cities where we can rate Great Blue Skimmer sightings, Washington has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Houston (United States, about 10%) and New York City (United States, about 10%).
Same genus: Libellula
The closest relatives of the Great Blue Skimmer that you can see in Washington (genus Libellula, Chasers and King Skimmers) are Slaty Skimmer (about 10%), Needham's Skimmer (about 10%) and Widow Skimmer (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Great Blue Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in Washington (444 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.
