As the founder of Butterflies and Blooms in the Briar Patch, Virginia Linch has been a public champion of pollinators in Eatonton and throughout Georgia for well over a decade.
So it seemed only fitting that a butterfly would land on Linch’s shoulder and remain there during the ceremonial unveiling of a bronze statue at Butterflies and Blooms in the Briar Patch on Thursday, Aug. 20.
Entitled “Butterfly Girl,” the statue is one of five new sculptures being added to the Eatonton Sculpture Trail in 2026-27. Created by Georgia artist Gregory Johnson, “Butterfly Girl” features a girl about 10 years old with a bug-catching jar hanging from her shoulder. She appears to gaze in wonder at a butterfly resting on her hand while another is perched on her shoulder.
“She looks just like any of us did at that age,” Linch said with a smile. “The expression on her face and those eyes; I just love it.”
The butterfly that landed on Linch’s shoulder at the start of the ceremony — which she identified as a hackberry emperor — eventually moved down to her arm and then her hand. As everyone watched, Linch coaxed it onto the hand of the bronze Butterfly Girl, prompting someone in the group to remark that Linch “is now a butterfly trainer, too.”
Georgia Sen. Rick Williams (R-24th District-Milledgeville) and Georgia Native Plant Society Board Chairman Michael Cowan conducted what Linch described as “the little ‘big reveal’” of the statue.
Williams, a longtime supporter of BBBP, called Linch “a tireless community servant.”
“What she has done with this habitat has been amazing,” he told The Eatonton Messenger after the ceremony. “All the many, many years of hard work. It’s a jewel right here in this jewel of a city. And it’s just great to be a part of it.”
Although Cowan has worked with Linch for several years through the native plant society, he said Thursday was his first time visiting the habitat.
“I tell you it is incredible,” he said. “I wish there could have been kids here because the whole reason we have a native plant society is not to look at flowers; it’s to support native plants because they are the backbone of a healthy ecosystem.
“And when you look at all the butterflies and other insects here today just flittering around, it’s incredible. This is a great testament and example as to why native plants are important and why everyone should be concerned with them.”
Linch repeatedly expressed her appreciation to the dozen or so supporters and volunteers who attended the private ceremony.
“We were able to do this thanks to the hardworking volunteers and the many donations from supporters, as well as donations from local businesses of materials that were needed for the base (of the statue),” Linch said. She later noted that “not one tax dollar was spent” on the project because it was all donations and volunteer labor.
A plaque at the base of the statue identifies the artist and the partnership between The Artisans Village and the Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce in the Eatonton Sculpture Trail. Like the other statues on the trail, “Butterfly Girl” is on loan and will be rotated out in two years if no one purchases her. According to information on the trail’s website, “Butterfly Girl” may be purchased for $16,000.
There is another “Butterfly Girl” sculpture in the State Botanical Garden that is just like Eatonton’s, Linch said.
“I think the sculptor, Gregory Johnson, said this is the 50th one, so they’re breaking the mold and they won’t be making any more like her,” she added.
When someone suggested she hold a fundraiser to buy “Butterfly Girl” for the habitat, Linch said she does not ask for donations unless they benefit pollinators. She noted several repairs that still need to be made at the habitat.
“The Butterfly Girl is not for pollinators; that’s for people,” she pointed out. “So, I don’t know what’ll happen in two years; but in the meantime, we’re going to enjoy her.”