Bees and Bugs

This week, I’ve been out in the garden with my camera set to close-up, having a look at who’s out in the sunshine.

A leafcutter bee has moved into my new bug house and is busy making doors for the holes. A bit of research tells me this is a solitary bee who lays her eggs in crannies and crevices, making the walls of the nest with circles cut from leaves. She is visiting frequently, carrying quite large pieces of leaf, and spending some time in the holes, presumably arranging them to her satisfaction.

Working hard to get the leaf circles in place.

A very neat finish 

This little chap is a green shield bug, marching about in the crocosmia  In the second photo, you can see two bugs, one lazing about upside down. This picture was taken in the early morning, after some welcome overnight rain.

I’m not usually a fan of spiders, but this one was dangling with a certain grace, and was not too big to be scary.

Finally, the garden is full of butterflies this year, who unfortunately don’t stay long enough to have their photo taken, unless you patiently hang around near the lavender. I like the translucent look of this picture, taken in very strong sunlight.