Sympetrum illotum
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Sympetrum illotum, the cardinal meadowhawk, is a species of skimmer in the dragonfly family Libellulidae. It is found in North America and South America, including islands in the Caribbean. The IUCN conservation status of Sympetrum illotum is least concern, with no immediate threat to the species' survival. The population is stable. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 7 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 7 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cardinal Meadowhawk sighting in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 344th most-seen of the 431 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.
February and October–December
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cardinal Meadowhawk in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January and March–September, the lowest months. Those are among Cumbres de Monterrey National Park's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain a month against 180 mm in September.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cardinal Meadowhawk sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
7th of 7
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Cardinal Meadowhawk sightings, Cumbres de Monterrey National Park ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Redwood National Park (United States, about 10%), Chirripó National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%) and Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve (Costa Rica, about 10%).
Same family: Libellulidae
The closest relatives of the Cardinal Meadowhawk that you can see in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (family Libellulidae, Skimmers) are Neon Skimmer (about 10%), Filigree Skimmer (about 10%) and Red Rock Skimmer (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cardinal Meadowhawk is recorded against all the insects logged in Cumbres de Monterrey National Park (7 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.
