After the theft of a previous monarch butterfly monument near the butterfly garden along the Hot Springs Creek Greenway Trail, a new metal butterfly has taken its place.

Around Aug. 10, Lee Fields, who owns Tri-Lakes Ornamental Iron Works, and his wife Laura Bluewaters, who is a retired traveling teacher, donated the new monument to the city. Bluewaters designed the metal monument, while Fields constructed it, finishing it in about three weeks.

The couple had previously donated a monarch butterfly monument to the city, and decided to replace it after they learned it was stolen. The new butterfly is attached to a pole a few feet in the air in an attempt to prevent it from also being stolen.

"It was in a concrete kind of hole, and somebody -- vandals got a grinder," Bluewaters said. "And they must have worked on it for a long time to get it off there and took it off, took it away."

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"And when we heard that it was stolen, we said, 'We have to put another one out. We just have to,'" Fields said. "But we figured the next one we do, and it took us a while to figure out how we're gonna get it where they won't steal it."

On a trip to Branson, the couple saw butterfly statues hanging over the roads, which gave them the idea to place their new monument in the air.

"That's why we put this one up high," he said. "And now they can't reach that, and it's a Schedule 40 pipe, so it's gonna be hard to get through it."

After finding out their original donation was vandalized and stolen, the couple didn't hesitate before deciding to donate a replacement, Fields said.

"You can't give up," Bluewaters said. "You have to have hope. We have a hope for the future that this one will stay."

With Tri-Lakes Ornamental Iron Works located just across the street from the trail, Fields used to walk the trail often, Bluewaters said. And as a retired teacher, giving students access to information about nature is important to her, so the couple donated the butterflies to be placed along the trail.

"We like to give back," Fields said. "Hot Springs has been really good to us."

Bluewaters and Fields created and donated the smaller butterfly monuments near the garden as well. While the smaller butterflies are flat, the new bigger butterfly's wings are bent, as if it could take off in flight at any moment.

"If you get a wind, the wings will flap on that," Fields said. "They look pretty cool."

The butterfly garden along the Greenway Trail was built in partnership between Brian Fisher of the Parks & Trails Department and the Diamond Lakes Arkansas Master Naturalists, according to a news release. The Master Naturalists continue to maintain the area and host butterfly releases and educational events there.

Fields and Bluewaters also recently completed a bench they want to donate to the city. He said on Wednesday the bench would be ready by Friday, and it could be placed near the garden as soon as the city approves.

The couple has donated many creations throughout the city, including at Garvan Woodland Gardens and the Garland County Veterans Memorial and Military Park. Many of these creations can be found along the Greenway Trail.

"When we walk the Greenway, we can see things that we put in there," Fields said.

Print Headline: WATCH: Couple donates second butterfly monument

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