I was sitting in the balcony and gazing at a copper pod tree on a Sunday afternoon. A tailor bird was busy collecting nesting material. Some butterflies fluttered around  looking for nectar. The resident squirrel came by to nibble a few grains from my balcony. The squirrel kept a watch on me, each time I moved, it went and hid itself behind the pots.

Though these are routine sightings, they keep me entertained and refresh me when I need a break from the countless chores at home. Yes, I do get pleasant surprises too when something very different happens in my garden.

I noticed an insect which was constantly flying in and out of the balcony visiting a PVC pipe each time. I was wondering if it was the deadly hornets wasp as its underbelly was yellow. On a closer look, the colour of its underbelly was changing to green, yellow and magenta. I found that it was an insect carrying leaves and flowers. It was a leaf cutter bee. I had seen it on one of my trails but could not get a click. This time I was lucky as it was building its nest in my balcony.

It is amazing to know about these bees. More information can be found in Santhosh’s blog . As I write this post, this bee is busy building its nest. I hope that the young bees complete their life cycle and emerge out of their nest.

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