Weathervanes don’t have to be roosters. The Butterfly Garden weathervane puts a cast butterfly up top, turning above the four compass letters, and it suits a potting shed or a pergola better than a barnyard bird would. People buy it for a gazebo, a garden shed, or the peak of a garage that faces the flower beds. It’s the quiet kind of ornament that you notice on a windy day and forget about the rest of the time, which is about right for a garden.

Cast aluminum that won’t rust

The figure and the directionals are cast in the USA from recycled aluminum. Because aluminum won’t rust, there are no rust streaks to worry about on the roof or post below it. An all-weather protective coating covers the casting and is warranted for five years.

Black or Verdigris for the Butterfly Garden weathervane

Two finishes are offered. Black is the one in the photo, and it reads as a clean silhouette against the sky, which is how most people see a weathervane anyway. Verdigris is the blue-green of aged copper, and it looks like it has been up there for decades from the day you put it up. Pick Black if the background is pale siding or open sky, and Verdigris if the vane sits against dark shingles or trees.

Reading the wind

Set the N arm to north when you mount it and the butterfly will point into the wind. From the kitchen window you’ll know which way a storm is coming before the trees give it away. The Butterfly Garden weathervane isn’t personalized, so there’s no text to proof before ordering. You pick the finish and that’s the whole decision.

If you’d rather have a bird up there, the weathervanes category includes the Hummingbird Garden design in the same two finishes. And the Garden Collection has butterfly lawn plaques that pair with the Butterfly Garden weathervane if you want the motif repeated at ground level.