Seven feet tall with a wingspan of eight feet, a 500 pound monarch butterfly made its debuted at the new Butterfly Garden in Winkler.

The sculpture was created by Tim Klassen of Envirotech, donating both his time and materials.

"I've owned a business here in town, I've been here 17 years and this is my way of giving back to the community," he says.

While he's created sculptures in the past, Klassen says he's never made anything so public.

"I'm glad they enjoy it," he says.

The butterfly garden started as dream of Martha Bergman of the Winkler Horticultural Society.

"We are a very passionate group about being creative," she says.

The variety of pesticide-free plants will attract over a dozen butterfly species, including the Monarch.

If the garden's applications go through it will become a certified North American Butterly Association site, only the second of its kind in Manitoba.

The butterfly garden located at the Winkler Arts and Culture Centre will become a great education tool for local schools

Creator Tim Klassen