Blue-Eyed Darner

Blue-Eyed Darner

Rhionaeschna multicolor

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Death Valley National Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

5 Verified sightings at Death Valley National Park From 2019 to 2026
43 In all 5 parks
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Blue-Eyed Darner

The blue-eyed darner (Rhionaeschna multicolor, syn. Aeshna multicolor) is a common dragonfly of the family Aeshnidae; native to the western United States, it is commonly sighted in the sagebrush steppe of the Snake River Plain, occurring east to the Midwest from central Canada and the Dakotas south to west Texas and Oklahoma. In Central America it occurs south to Panama. This is usually the second earliest darner to emerge in the spring, with the California darner emerging first. It hunts small flying insects while on the wing. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Toluca 🇲🇽 México
~10%
2 Puebla 🇲🇽 México
~10%
3 Portland 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Sacramento 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Denver 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Seattle 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Mexico City 🇲🇽 México
~10%
8 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 Vancouver 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
10 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Blue-Eyed Darner in Death Valley National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-Eyed Darner sighting in Death Valley National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 91st most-seen of the 108 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.

When is the best time to see a Blue-Eyed Darner in Death Valley National Park?

September

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-Eyed Darner in Death Valley National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–April, June–August and November–December, the lowest months. That is one of Death Valley National Park's driest months, with about 5 mm of rain against 30 mm in March.

What time of day is best to see a Blue-Eyed Darner?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue-Eyed Darner sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Death Valley National Park the best place to see a Blue-Eyed Darner?

Among the best

Of the 5 parks where we can rate Blue-Eyed Darner sightings, Death Valley National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Channel Islands National Park (United States, about 10%).

Where does the Blue-Eyed Darner sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Blue-Eyed Darner is recorded against all the insects logged in Death Valley National Park (5 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.

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