This picture shows two dragonflies making love in the most romantic way – by forming a heart shape.

Shocked Chelyapin Dmitry almost choked on his picnic as he sat with his family by a lake near his hometown of Chelyabinsk, Russia.

Out of the corner of his eye, he was stunned to see the pair creating the universal sign of love.

True love: These dragonflies remarkably formed a heart shape while mating

Chelyapin quickly dropped his sandwiches and grabbed his point-and-shoot digital camera to snap this incredible close-up picture of the moment.

The amateur snapper’s amazing shots perfectly capture the bright blue dragonfly and its brown companion topping and tailing in the warm summer sunshine.

The 46-year-old said: ‘It was a hot day. We had a rest by a lake and had a picnic. I saw the dragonflies out of the corner of my eye and just started laughing.

‘I was surprised to see them making a heart shape – it was very unusual taking into consideration the awkward way they were going about making love and continuing the never ending circle of life.

‘But everything in life happens for a reason – I believe it was a sign that love was in the air.’

The amateur photographer nicknamed the dragonflies Yin and Yang after spending 20 minutes watching and photographing them.

He added: ‘Nature is all about love and these images show that.’