Rare lesser emperor dragonfly spotted in Leicestershire

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

Walking in nature, you might not expect to come across a sought-after treasure.

But that's exactly what happened to Tony Clarke, when he snapped a picture of a rare dragonfly.

The dragonfly enthusiast spotted a lesser emperor at Rutland Water Nature Reserve in Leicestershire, England on 13 July.

The first recorded sighting of a lesser emperor dragonfly was in 2003, and there have only been seven live sightings documented since then.

Dragonflies prefer warmer weather and areas of freshwater like rivers, lakes and wetlands

Ian Merrill, a dragonfly recorder and member of the British Dragonfly society, said the sighting was an "unusual occurrence".

He also said that the presence of the species in the UK was "linked to climate change".

The lesser emperor has been regularly migrating to the UK from Europe since about 2000.

According to the British Dragonfly Society, most species of dragonfly are tropical and prefer warmer weather.

But habitat loss and climate change are threatening many species.

And as the UK's weather is expected to get warmer because of climate change, we might see different species of animals migrating to our shores.