Santa Clarita residents who regularly drove by the large metallic butterfly sculpture on Bouquet Canyon Road, near Alamogordo Road in Saugus, might notice something amiss — at least for a little while, city officials said Tuesday.

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The artwork known officially as “Western Tiger Swallowtail” has been taken down, after an errant driver in a single-vehicle crash clipped its wings last week.

The artwork is being inspected by the artist, who goes by the moniker Lieutenant Mustardseed, who’s working with city officials and a metal worker to help restore the sculpture.

“It is being analyzed by the artist, who’s then going to work with a fabricator to make the repairs,” said Jessica Jackson, communications specialist for the city of Santa Clarita.

City officials did not yet have an estimate for when the butterfly art was to be returned, because the damage is still being assessed.

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials said they’ve received several reports from residents who were concerned the sculpture’s authorized removal might have been theft.

The piece was moved not long after a driver heading southbound on Bouquet Canyon Road, before Alamogordo, crashed into it 9:30 a.m. Monday, officials said.

The driver didn’t anticipate the stoppage of traffic in time after a lane change, swerved to avoid the cars in front of her and instead hit a tree. The impact of the crash swung her car around and into the sculpture, according to Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials.

The woman appeared to have sustained minor injuries in the crash, deputies said.

Santa Clarita city officials did not have an estimate for the cost of the damage.

The artist is a “veteran of Desert Storm and a self-taught non-institutionalized artist,” according to her website.

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