Leaf cutter bees.

I have never seen so many butterflies as we have this year, yes mostly cabbage white, but love butterflies of any kind, lots of moths around too & ladybirds, conditions seem to be favourable for them all. I went to a garden centre the other day, I am sure they had imported small bumble bees, the plants were swarming with them, in fact I left some plants I would have liked because they had so many on & didn't want to disturb them

Ah, thank you Spindrift. (what a lovely name!)
I did think the privet was rather tough for any leaf cutter!

They do take bits off privet Alie, I went to fetch a privet plant I had in a pot the other day ready to plant, it looked like a completely different plant with all the bits "cut" out of it , wish I knew where the bees were nesting, they are wecome to any plant they want, I love anything like that

Do these bees take bits off privet leaves? and Periwinkle and Lysimachia?
Something does in my garden.

Earlier in the year I thought they had gone, but they just started late - like everything else!

We have a bee house in the garden and the bees have been very busy filling it with neatly cut leaves and placing them in each of the holes.Amazing to watch.

The hot weather has brought out a few butterflies, hurrah! That does not include the cabbage white of course, although everything has a use I am told.

My eldest son had bought me a large concrete owl one year, I noticed a while later that it's eyes were getting smaller (no hadn't been drinking I sat & watched & there was a leaf cutter bee making a nest there, it was lovely to watch, I love nature & if any creature decides to nest here I leave them to it, most are good for the garden anyway.

They do have that lovely furry look don't they. I have never picked one up I am always afraid of harming things if I touch them.

When my son was a toddler he used to love to stroke bumble bees he found in the garden. He persisted in spite of being stung a few times and his then childminder used to be very embarrassed when having to tell me of yet another sting.

I love sitting in the garden and watching the insects at work, and can remember doing this as a child, so it is something which I have always liked to do, and is a good excuse for a 'wild' garden. Still haven't seen many butterflies, but we do have quite a few bumble bees, (I always feel these are very gentle creatures, not sure why).

Bags, yes it is bag with plants in each of 12 holes. The bee is using a hole where a plant broke off and died. I have just ordered a little bee hotel to hang on the fence next to it. bee hotel

Guessing it might be a basket container type of thing. Is that right?

If they are carrying on in spite of your twice daily watering, that presumably isn't bothering them. What is a 'pouch'?