Mixed feelings as dragonfly spotted for first time

Ian Merrill described finding the Norfolk Hawker in Leicestershire as a "mixed blessing"

A dragonfly from Norfolk has been spotted in Leicestershire for the first time.

Ian Merrill, the Leicestershire and Rutland dragonfly recorder, spotted the Norfolk Hawker on the Grantham Canal, close to Redmile in June, and there has since been a further two sightings of the insect in the county.

Mr Merrill, from the British Dragonfly Society, described the sightings of the green-eyed insect as an "exciting find" but also a "mixed blessing" as it showed insects were spreading "rapidly" from the south due to global warming.

He added the find means 31 different species of dragonfly have been spotted in the county.

'Tempered' excitement

The dragonfly recorder told the BBC the insects were first seen in Northamptonshire a couple of years ago and are now known to breed there, so there was an "expectation" the insect would appear in Leicestershire.

"It was a fantastic and welcome surprise to actually find the first one myself as I was looking for it," he said.

"The excitement's sort of tempered by the fact that they shouldn't really be here and it's because of global warming, which is obviously not a good thing."

Mr Merrill described the insect as having "fantastic bottle green eyes", an orange body and a "little yellow triangle" at the base of its abdomen which can be seen when it is perched.

The Norfolk Hawker is "most likely" to be seen in June and July, with dragonflies visible in the UK from the end of April to November, he added.