Ischnura verticalis
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The eastern forktail (Ischnura verticalis) is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. This species is present in the Eastern United States, from the Atlantic coast to the Midwest and from north of Florida to Southern Canada and west to Montana and New Mexico.
These damselflies inhabit various wetlands, especially small ponds, slow moving streams and marshes. Ischnura verticalis can reach a body length of 22–30 millimetres (0.87–1.18 in). These small green, black and blue damselflies have a slender body with four wings folding over the back. The thorax of the males is black above, with pale green sides and green shoulder stripes. Eyes are dark above, greenish below. Abdomen is mainly black, with thin pale rings. The top of the abdomen (eighth and ninth abdominal segments) is blue, with black markings on sides. The males' abdomens shows tiny projections off the tip (hence the common name verticalis of this species).
Females are usually grayish-blue, with greyish markings on the abdomen. In the immature female, the thorax is bright orange with black dorsal and shoulder stripes. The abdomen is black above and... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Forktail sighting in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 447th most-seen of the 723 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–June and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Forktail in Shenandoah National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July–August and October–April, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Forktail sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Eastern Forktail sightings, Shenandoah National Park ranks 4th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 10%), Cape Breton Highlands National Park (Canada, about 10%) and Acadia National Park (United States, about 10%).
Same genus: Ischnura
The closest relatives of the Eastern Forktail that you can see in Shenandoah National Park (genus Ischnura, Forktails) are Fragile Forktail (about 10%) and Citrine Forktail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eastern Forktail is recorded against all the insects logged in Shenandoah National Park (12 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.
