Take-off (Rhagium mordax)

I followed this guy around a hawthorn bush for at least an hour, he was very obliging and quite photogenic.
A longhorn beetle with an impressive name, this species emerges from deadwood in the Spring to feed on nearby nectar. The presence of early flowering shrubs such as hawthorn, blackthorn and hazel together with a consistent source of deadwood are therefore incredibly important for them.
So stop tidying up woodlands :)