Wasp Beetle on nettle (Clytus arietus)

This was the first wasp beetle I had ever seen. There is nothing as exciting (well apart from the odd couple of things) than seeing an insect you have never seen in real life before. It goes to show that the more you look the more you see. When a friend asked how come you see all these insects and I don't, the simple answer was that I am looking for them. Lets face it, something that looks like the wasp beetle does tend to stand out a bit bearing in mind that all beetles also fly. So if you see something that resembles a small helicopter it could be a wasp beetle.

Taken with a Canon 600D and Canon 100mm macro lens and Marumi Flash.