Rare lesser emperor dragonfly spotted in Rutland

Dragonfly enthusiast Tony Clarke photographed the lesser emperor at Rutland Water on 13 July

A rare dragonfly has been photographed at a nature reserve in Rutland.

Dragonfly enthusiast Tony Clarke captured the image of a lesser emperor at Rutland Water Nature Reserve on 13 July.

Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust said the only previous photo of the species in the area was taken in 2023 - of a dead specimen being eaten by a hornet.

The first recorded sighting of the lesser emperor in the county was in 2003, with only seven living sightings documented to date.

A dead lesser emperor was seen being eaten by a Hornet in 2023

Ian Merrill, a dragonfly recorder for Leicestershire and Rutland and a member of the British Dragonfly Society, said the species was best described as a "generalist" due to its broad habitat preferences.

The species was considered to be a "rare vagrant" to the UK from Europe, but has become a regular migrant across much of the country since about 2000.

It has been recorded breeding in several counties, including Northamptonshire and Worcestershire.

Mr Merrill said: "The first appearance of the lesser emperor in Leicestershire and Rutland in 2003 was therefore not unexpected, when a male was present at Priory Water, in Melton, between 15 and 26 July.

"More surprising was the appearance of another male at the same site between 1 and 7 August 2004."

Subsequent sightings include males at Willesley in Ashby-de-la-Zouch (2007), Frisby Gravel Pits (2009), Rutland Water (2012) and Watermead Country Park in Leicestershire (2023).

Although the species has "consolidated its presence" in the UK, Mr Merrill said it remained an "unusual occurrence" in the county and that its presence was "inextricably linked to climate change".