Oh! Memories you lead me through
And resting there, you shall find
the butterfly tattoo..."
By Wieslaw L Kalinowski
Butterflies, second only to dragons, are one of the most popular tattoo subjects today. You will find small butterflies, large butterflies, tribal butterflies and full-color butterflies. Some are more animated and some very true-to-life. However you like your butterflies, finding just the right design can be easier said than done. There are so many different species of this winged insect that one could spend days searching through pictures to find what they are looking for. For that reason, this Inspiration feature will help you find some of the best butterfly resources on the Net. First, we'll take a look at real butterfly photography, then we'll explore simpler, more animated clipart.
One thing I have discovered while searching for butterfly pictures is that there are some really great photographers out there posting their photos on the Net. When searching for a butterfly tattoo design, nothing beats the beauty of Nature. The following galleries will lead you to some of the most breathtaking butterflies caught "in action" doing what butterflies do best.
Butterfly Photo Gallery By Mark Deering
These 21 images, most of which are extreme closeups, are sure to inspire you. If it doesn't give you an idea for a design, it will certainly make you appreciate the delicate nature of these gentle insects.
Butterfly Photo Gallery by Ron Richael
These pictures are going to take a while to load, but that's OK! Sit back, relax and enjoy the beautiful music that plays in the background as the photos unfold. As well as butterflies, you'll also get a glimpse of some really beautiful flowers in this collection.
Photos From Nature - Butterflies
This page of thumbnails loads very quickly, and each of the thumbnails leads you to a close-up photo. These close-ups are just awe-inspiring. There is so much detail and the colors are so vivid you feel as if you can reach out and touch it, but you might fear that it will fly away.
The Butterfly Website Picture Gallery
Last but not least, this photo gallery has over 600 butterfly and insect pictures. Each species is divided by family. Choose a particular family, and that will bring you to a page of thumbnails. Each thumbnail then leads to a full-sized image. Navigation is not quite as easy, but the variety and the pictures are worth it!
Butterfly Clipart
If you're looking for a butterfly design that is a little more simple, or possibly even animated (cartoon-ish), clipart galleries are a great place to look. Here we will take at some of the biggest and best butterfly clipart galleries on the Net.
Cool Archive -Butterfly Clipart
This is a nice page of butterflies. Some are realistic while others are a little more fantastic. Bright colors, different poses and a variety of wing shapes is what you will find here.
Clipart - Butterflies
Even Christine Tarsky, our Birding Guide at About, has a nice collection of butterfly clipart on her site. Small text descriptions preface each photo with a link. Also includes some black-and-white graphics which make great tattoo flash!
Still Want More Butterfly Clipart?
Bobbie Peachey is your gal! She is our About Guide to Web Clip Art, and these pages are dedicated to clipart of nothing but butterflies and moths. There are just too many to list here, so pay Bobbie a visit if you'd like to find more butterfly graphics.
