"...I'd wager a groat or two that that is a female common red darter....the male is red, and the female is a sort of brownish..."
Dragonflies have been around for about 300 million years....
I love seeing dragonflies, I saw my first one this year last week down by the canal. I always remember my mum telling me to get inside if a dragonfly was outside when I lived in Germany.. I'm still not quite sure why!
People apparently believe that the long abdomen is a huge sting, and are terrified of them.
They are harmless, unless you are smaller than them.