These incredible close-up pictures show two rarely seen butterflies mating on a flower at a former RAF base.

Wildlife photographer Andrew Fusek Peters waited for three hours in a cramped hide to capture the intimate scene.

He got the pictures while at a former airfield which is now Prees Heath Nature Reserve near Whitchurch last week.

Andrew, 54, said: "The solar studded blue is a butterfly that has been in huge decline. Basically, it's quite a rare butterfly.

"The old RAF airfield at Prees Heath has basically been turned into a nature reserve.

"They covered over all the runways and planted this huge conservation, including putting the plant that this particular butterfly likes which is Bell Heather.

"Bell Heather is the colourful purple stuff, but it's been an incredible success story as this butterfly has flourished at this nature reserve.

"It is called silver-studded blue because it's got those beautiful shiny silver-blue studs on the wings so you can't mistake it for anything else.

"They are actually mating. It was amazing and it's just a lovely, lovely moment. You can see the difference between male and female.

"The female's got a kind of sandy colouring in her wings.

"It's just a hopeful sign of nature and new life. I just like everything about the picture as it's very vibrant and colourful.

"I mean they're really, really small, only a few millimetres across."