There are only a few small, but tough, dragonflies around our ponds now, virtually all of them red autumn Meadowhawks, as far as I’ve seen recently. My guess is that this one is either a Cherry-Faced Meadowhawk (Sympetrum internum) or a Ruby Meadowhawk (S. rubicundulum).
Dragonflies historically have been revered in Eastern cultures. However, they were feared in earlier Western cultures that believed they were the devil’s insects. (Their English name reportedly is derived from the Romanian “drac,” meaning both devil and dragon.) Perhaps the fear was in recognition of the insect’s voraciousness in capturing prey and viciousness in dealing with its captured victims.
Most of their kind hunt in the air where their remarkable eyes can lock onto a chosen smaller insect, even if it’s within a swarm of other insects. Then, their even more remarkable flying capability – using each of their four wings together and/or independently – allows them to out-fly their prey in both speed and maneuverability.
The dragonflies can grab another insect with their legs, tear off its wings to prevent distraction and further flight, and rip and chew the victim to pieces with strong jaws and serrated mandibles – all in mid-air, where they eat and eat and eat voraciously.
We should be glad that they evolved into much smaller species than their primordial ancestors, which had wingspans of two and one-half feet. (Image taken in Brooklin, Maine, on October 7, 2021.) C