Butterfly Garden and Overlook
A TKF Foundation Open Spaces, Sacred Places Garden
The Butterfly Garden and Overlook is an open space, sacred place for individuals to work through the pain of grieving. Four tasks help us move into the next phase of life, each represented as architectural and natural elements throughout the garden. Task one, "Accepting the Reality of the Loss", begins as visitors pass through the portal of the lost home, the front door.
The path takes you on a journey around the site, allowing for Task two, "Processing the Pain of Grief". Areas with a bench and journal act as a destination and provide a sacred space in nature to, Task three, "Adjust to a World Without What we Lost". Visitors are encouraged to write and reflect in the journal.
The "penciled" outline of homes represent all homes erased by the storm. The plaques educate future generations on the destruction, acts of heroism, survival and the "Miracle of the Human Spirit" while providing an "Enduring Connection to What we Lost, We move on but do not forget", Task four. Butterfly attracting flowers create the unifying circle of the butterfly garden, providing an encompassing sense of boundary, safety and enclosure.
Thirty eight segments of the waterfall represent the minutes the tornado was on the ground. A void at minute 7 is the moment it struck this park.
Erected by TKF Foundation
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Disasters • Horticulture & Forestry.
Location. 37° 3.833′ N, 94° 31.794′ W. Marker is in Joplin, Missouri, in Jasper County. Marker is on Maiden Lane north of 26th Street/Gabby Street Boulevard, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Cunningham Park, Joplin MO 64804, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Joplin Tornado Memorial, Volunteer Tribute and Children's Memorial (here, next to this marker); St. John's Regional Medical Center (here, next to this marker); Tornado Statistics - May 22, 2011 - Joplin, MO (a few steps from this marker); Recovery Efforts: After the Storm (a few steps from this marker); The Butterfly People (a few steps from this marker); Survivor Quotes (a few steps from this marker); A Tribute to the Volunteers (within shouting distance of this marker); The Miracle of the Human Spirit - Joplin 2011 (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Joplin.
Also see . . .
1. Butterfly Garden and Overlook. Explore Joplin website entry (Submitted on March 31, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
2. Joplin Butterfly Garden and Overlook on Facebook
Credits. This page was last revised on March 31, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 2, 2017, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 320 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 2, 2017, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. submitted on October 5, 2017, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. 11. submitted on October 2, 2017, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
