Ladona deplanata
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The blue corporal (Ladona deplanata), also known as little corporal, is a dragonfly in the Libellulidae, or skimmer family. First described as Libellula deplanata by Jules Pierre Rambur in 1842, it is common across much of the eastern United States.
When Jules Pierre Rambur first described the blue corporal in 1842, he assigned it to the large skimmer genus Libellula. There it remained until 1897, when James George Needham established the genus Ladona, and transferred the blue corporal (and several other species) to it. Taxonomists have disagreed since as to which genus the dragonfly should be assigned to, with some subsuming members of the genus Ladona into Libellula, and others maintaining the two genera. However, recent molecular DNA studies strongly suggest that Ladona is a monophyletic group which is a sister taxon to Libellula. The blue corporal has, in the past, been considered to be a subspecies of the closely related white corporal.
The etymology of the genus name Ladona is unknown, but the specific name deplanata, meaning "flattened" or "expanded", probably refers to the shape of the blue corporal's abdomen. The word "blue" in its common name refers to the male... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Corporal sighting in Congaree National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 78th most-seen of the 145 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.
April
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Corporal in Congaree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to February, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue Corporal 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 2 parks where we can rate Blue Corporal sightings, Congaree National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Shenandoah National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same family: Libellulidae
The closest relatives of the Blue Corporal that you can see in Congaree National Park (family Libellulidae, Skimmers) are Great Blue Skimmer (about 50%), Common Whitetail (about 20%) and Eastern Pondhawk (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue Corporal is recorded against all the insects logged in Congaree National Park (10 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
