Libellula needhami
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Libellula needhami, or Needham's skimmer, is a species of skimmer in the family of dragonflies known as Libellulidae. It is found in the Bahamas, Cuba, Mexico, and the United States. The IUCN conservation status of Libellula needhami is "LC", least concern, with no immediate threat to the species' existence. The population is stable.
The species is named after the American entomologist James George Needham. Males have a red face, while females have a brown or yellow face. This species can be separated from the very similar Libellula auripennis by the following:
their posterior (rear) wing veins do not become orange their costa changes color on opposite sides of the node: outer half is lighter, inner half is darker their hind tibia are brown, not black Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Needham's Skimmer sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 73rd most-seen of the 189 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.
April and July
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Needham's Skimmer in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in September and November–February, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Needham's Skimmer sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Needham's Skimmer sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 30%) and Everglades National Park (United States, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Needham's Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (18 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.
