Thieves have taken two of Selma’s butterflies.

Steve Grossman, president of the Dallas County Arts Alliance, said he noticed one in front of Alston Keith’s office missing Sunday and another — the one painted by students of Craig Elementary School in front of the Dallas County School Board central office — school officials reported missing Monday.

Grossman said he filed a report about the missing butterflies with the Selma Police Department on Monday morning.

“It doesn’t make sense for somebody to steal a butterfly,” he said.

The Alliance placed 45 butterflies throughout Selma late last week as a celebration of the arts and to enhance tourism. The butterflies are made of wood, and a single metal rod anchors the structures to a base filled with sandbags. They are of little value as far as raw materials go, Grossman said.

The theft of the butterfly painted by Craig’s students cast a pall over the school Monday morning.

“The teachers and I,” said Principal Tanya Miles, “we’re just kind of sad and down about it.”

Miles asked the missing butterfly be returned to the front of the school.

“We won’t ask any questions.”

Members of the Alliance reiterated Miles’ request for the other butterfly taken either late Friday or early Saturday morning from in front of Keith’s law office.

Cynthia Caine, chairwoman of Crime Stoppers, said the thefts would figure predominately in this week’s Crime Stoppers advertisements. If the butterflies are returned quickly, the person or persons who took them would suffer no legal recourse, Caine said.

“They can return them to where they took them,” she said.

Anyone with information about the missing butterflies should call the Crime Stoppers’ anonymous line at 1-866-44CRIME.

“We want to have them returned without any involvement of the police department,” Caine said.