Sympetrum semicinctum
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The band-winged meadowhawk (Sympetrum semicinctum) is a dragonfly of the genus Sympetrum belonging to the family Libellulidae. Sympetrum semicinctum is closely related to, and may not be a distinct species from, the western meadowhawk (Sympetrum occidentale). Other geographical variants are S. californicum and S. fasciatum.
This species is native to Canada and Continental United States, from coast to coast. It is present in Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward I., Québec, Saskatchewan); United States (Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming).
This dragonfly can be found perched on vegetation along the edges of meadows, in weedy ponds, marshes and lakes, also... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 7 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Band-Winged Meadowhawk sighting in Yosemite National Park on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 192nd most-seen of the 227 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.
August and September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Band-Winged Meadowhawk in Yosemite National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to July, the lowest months. Those are among Yosemite National Park's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain a month against 220 mm in January.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Band-Winged Meadowhawk sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Band-Winged Meadowhawk sightings, Yosemite National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Acadia National Park (United States, under 5%).
Same genus: Sympetrum
The closest relatives of the Band-Winged Meadowhawk that you can see in Yosemite National Park (genus Sympetrum, Meadowhawks) are Striped Meadowhawk (about 10%) and Variegated Meadowhawk (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Band-Winged Meadowhawk is recorded against all the insects logged in Yosemite National Park (6 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.
