Country diary: Who would live in a keyhole like this?

Allendale, Northumberland: I had found neat semi-circles on the epimedium leaves in my garden, now I know who's been busyWith the front door open, we eat our supper accompanied by the sounds of insects and all the activity of the late day. Outside in the garden, newly fledged wrens flurry among campanulas. A thrush bashes a snail shell against a stone and jays shriek.I become aware of one particular bee as it hovers in the evening air, examining the door. It is about the size of a honeybee, and its dark brown abdomen is haloed in vivid orange hairs the colour of California poppies. Alighting briefly on the escutcheon round the keyhole, it disappears inside. A female bee, she is probably a patchwork leaf-cutter bee, Megachile centuncularis, one of the most commonly seen in gardens. Continue reading...