Argia fumipennis
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The variable dancer (Argia fumipennis) is a damselfly of the family Coenagrionidae. It is native to North America, where it is widespread throughout the east and present in the interior western United States. The male of the subspecies A. f. violacea (the violet dancer) is purple with a blue tip. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Guadalupe Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Dancer sighting in Guadalupe Mountains National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 41st most-seen of the 57 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.
September
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Variable Dancer in Guadalupe Mountains National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July–August and October–May, the lowest months. That is one of Guadalupe Mountains National Park's wettest months, with about 40 mm of rain against 10 mm in April.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Variable Dancer sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Variable Dancer sightings, Guadalupe Mountains National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Acadia National Park (United States, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Variable Dancer is recorded against all the insects logged in Guadalupe Mountains National Park (8 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.
