Garden surprises

An abortive morning outing as the place we were headed for was closed by which time it was raining heavily in Leeds so we came back home.
Didn’t look to have rained here as my washing was drying well in the garden and the sun was shining.

Did a bit of garden tidying before lunch, those brambles don’t stop! I discovered a Marigold about to flower. When we accepted some of these plants some years ago we were told we’d never get rid of them, this is the first time they’ve come back without us pinching some from our son’s wall where they come up every year. ( We gave him some of the original plants)

In the pots along the drive wall, planted first with violas and now with geraniums, we rescued a self seeded Sunflower. In it’s own pot it is still small but is forming a flower.

A large butterfly flew past me, my camera was across the garden on the patio table but it settled to bask in the sun for a few minutes on this tree stump. I walked across the garden for my camera and it was still there when I returned, long enough for me to get 4 increasingly close shots. 
Amazingly my first butterfly shot taken in the garden this year!