STUNNING up-close images show Britain's smallest dragonfly glistening 'like jewellery' on a reed covered in morning dew.
Wildlife photographer Andrew Fusek-Peters captured the incredible dawn snaps at Long Mynd nature reserve in Shropshire on September 12.
He got up at 5am to take the dazzling snaps showing the creature's dew-encrusted wings appearing to glisten silver in the early morning light as it clung to a reed.
The rarely-seen black darter is Britain's smallest species of dragonfly measuring between 29mm and 34mm long.
The elusive insects thrive in moorland, preferring to spend their days darting around bog pools and drainage ditches but their numbers have dwindled in recent years.
Mr Fusek-Peters, 58, said: "I captured them a couple of dawns ago and got up at 5am and rushed up there as black darters are only there for a few weeks each year.
"I've had to wait to get them covered in dew because of the recent heatwave, so I've had to take my time with these shots.
"They are the tiniest things, so are very hard to photograph. I've been teaching myself this technique for six years and I think these are my best shots like it so far.
"I was happy with the sheer level of detail. "They really look like jewellery glistening and sparkling in the light. You can make out each individual droplet.
"Any slight breeze or movement and you just don't get these photos.
"As I've been up there hundreds of times I now know where they sleep. There were about 50 up there, which is an improvement on recent years.
"They have been in decline so it's hopefully also a positive story for the black darters which seem to be recovering in numbers."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here