Red dragonfly (likely a meadowhawk)

Freshwater margins such as ponds, marshes, slow streams, and nearby grasslands or woodland clearings. Adults often perch on sunlit objects away from water.

Adults catch mosquitoes, flies, and other small flying insects in midair. Aquatic nymphs are predatory, eating mosquito larvae, small aquatic invertebrates, and occasionally tadpoles.

Fast, agile aerial hunters; males commonly patrol territories and perch repeatedly. Eggs are laid in or near water, and the nymph stage develops underwater before emergence.

Harmless to people and unable to sting; it may bite only if forcibly handled. Beneficial predators that help reduce mosquitoes and other flying pests.