Butterfly tattoos: 200 PHOTOS and inspiring ideas!

Do you like butterfly tattoos? Discover with us all the meanings attributed to this splendid and graceful winged insect and the most beautiful styles and designs to inspire you to create your perfect butterfly tattoo!

Butterfly tattoos are very popular, often colorful and hyper feminine. Whether it's realistic tattoos or butterfly tattoos in which the imagination is king, this kind of tattoo is always much loved and requested thanks to the beauty of the animal as well as the meaning to which it is attributed.

We know better the butterflies and the symbols related to them with curiosity and information related to science and popular culture.

WHY DO THEY LIKE BUTTERFLIES?

Butterflies are insects with wings characterized by more or less bright colors . These are insects of variable size ranging from a few millimeters up to 8 centimeters in length with a wingspan of up to 31 centimeters in the case of the Queen Alexandra Butterfly, whose scientific name is Ornithoptera Alexandrae.

Why are butterflies so fascinating? In addition to their undoubted beauty and gracefulness , butterflies are also striking for their particular life cycle. In fact, butterflies follow four transformations before becoming the winged insects we know that we dream of tattooing on our skin.

In the beginning we start from an egg that hatching turns into a caterpillar that grows and creates around itself a silk cocoon inside which it develops and turns into a chrysalis (also called pupa). After some time the chrysalis reaches maturity transforming itself into the butterfly we all know. This process requires a lot of time and a lot of tenacity on the part of the butterfly, which has to face several challenges and endure fatigue in order to be 'really born'.

How long do butterflies live? On average, butterflies live about a month but there are specimens that do not live more than a few hours , while other species live up to a year. In particular, however, there are some butterflies with a very long life cycle , such as some moths that feed on a particular plant called Yucca Baccata, present in the United States and Mexico, in desert areas. The chrysalis of this butterfly family can live up to 30 years before transforming into a butterfly.

BUTTERFLY TATTOO MEANING

As already explained, butterflies represent different symbols and meanings, all really very fascinating and rich in character: let's discover them all to be able to give our butterfly tattoo a special connotation that represents us all the way!

SYMBOL OF CHANGE : given the tenacity of butterflies in facing all the phases of their lives and the different mutations of their appearance and nature, a butterfly-shaped tattoo can speak of our personal change, as well as of our affirmation and emancipation;

SYMBOL OF LIGHTNESS : butterflies spend most of their lives flying among the flowers, feeding on their pollen and mating to ensure the reproduction of the species. For this reason, the butterfly tattoo can symbolize physical lightness, strictly linked to the twirling of these insects, as well as to the lightness with which they face their, often short, life;

SYMBOL OF REBIRTH : as already explained, in the different mutations the butterflies 'die' in a state and 'reborn' in a new guise, ready to face new challenges and new ways of being. In this sense, in fact, a butterfly tattoo can symbolize a personal rebirth, an important change;

CONJUGAL LOVE AND HARMONY : in China, butterflies represent marital love and couple harmony according to traditional customs;

DEA OF WAR AND HUMAN SACRIFICES I: among the Mexican divinities the butterfly is the symbol of the Goddess of War and human sacrifices;

REPRESENTATION OF THE DEAD : in the Italian popular tradition, as in many others, butterflies represent the souls of the dead. In fact, in our country it is believed that the butterflies we meet in our daily life are the souls of our loved ones who come back to visit us. For this reason when a butterfly enters a house we must not disturb it and absolutely not kill it or take it out: out of love and respect for the people we love no longer alive;

BEAUTY AND GRACE : in Japan the spreading of the butterfly's wings after the long chrysalis period symbolizes the feminine changes that occur in the transition from girls to women. This change expresses beauty and grace, a gradual and splendid passage, full of joy and absolutely not traumatic;

REPRESENTATION OF PSYCHE : in ancient Greece Pische was instead a mortal woman represented with butterfly wings after passing the tests that led her to immortality thanks to the union with her husband Love, also known as Cupid. Similarly, the Greeks believed that a soul was born from the birth of a butterfly. Furthermore, butterflies often represented messengers, as butterflies were believed to carry souls to heaven.

WHERE TO DO BUTTERFLY TATTOO

Where can we make a butterfly tattoo? There are many places, and the choice is definitely personal! It is true that thinking carefully about where to place a new tattoo means that the chosen design is enhanced to the maximum , making our tattoo truly unique! So let's look at many butterfly tattoos together with suggestions on the perfect body area for us!

BUTTERFLY TATTOO ON THE NECK

The neck is a visible and sensitive area, as well as very sensual . We can choose to tattoo our butterfly on the neck, on the front, for a strong look, or on the sides, near the ears, for a more delicate effect. Butterfly tattoos are also very beautiful on the part immediately below the neck, on the shoulders.

SHOULDER BUTTERFLY TATTOOS

The shoulders are also a very popular area. It is a clearly visible but still discreet point, which can be covered at any time with a simple t-shirt. On the shoulder we can tattoo small and large butterflies, with a realistic three-dimensional effect or even stylized , accompanied by tribals.

BUTTERFLY TATTOO ON THE BACK

The back is a very large area on which to create the butterfly tattoo. In this case we can therefore indulge ourselves with the most diverse designs including very large and colorful butterflies or even smaller ones . Butterflies are splendid precisely because they lend themselves particularly to being portrayed in flight or posed, with very fine or more intense strokes.

BUTTERFLY TATTOO ON SIDE

Extremely sexy and feminine, the butterfly tattoos on the side express great mischief. Do you remember Belen's tattoo ? The starlet on the occasion of the San Remo Festival had shown a butterfly tattoo on the groin that had sparked the curiosity of all Italians! Since that time, butterfly tattoos on the groin or on the side have become very popular.

Again in the butterfly design we can ask our tattoo artist to include flowers, tribal symbols and special shades that follow the curves of our body, for a truly sinuous and personal effect .

BUTTERFLY LEG TATTOO

Leg tattoos are becoming very famous and popular because they are easily concealed but are still beautiful and with character. Butterfly tattoos on the legs can affect the area of ​​the thighs as well as the one just below the knees, but also the calves and ankles, a very sexy point.

SMALL BUTTERFLY TATTOOS ON FOOT

Foot tattoos are also loved! So here are some images to inspire you for your butterfly tattoo on your foot, whether simple with the winged insect only or combined with more particular designs such as tribals , flowers and leaves . Small tattoos can also be done on the hands, wrists and fingers .

BUTTERFLY TATTOO STYLE

As we always like to repeat, the style of tattoos is up to our personal taste, in fact no tattoo ever is to be considered more beautiful or uglier in black and white or in color, stylized, realistic or with a watercolor or cartoon effect. However, there is nothing life to look at so many beautiful images of real butterfly tattoos to get a better idea about our tastes and expectations , so that we can develop with our trusted professional tattoo artist the perfect butterfly tattoo for us!

BLACK AND WHITE BUTTERFLY TATTOO

Black and white tattoos are always the best choice for those who love understated looks . In this case, in fact, the design remains 'clean' and less striking.

COLORFUL BUTTERFLIES TATTOOS

In nature there are black and also white butterflies, but most of the butterflies are very colorful. In fact, the wings of these delicate insects often show beautiful contrasting colors that make you smile at the wonder of nature.

Below we can see many beautiful colored tattooed butterflies, in very different styles. We find butterfly tattoo tribal , realistic or effect watercolor , watercolor , as well as from the old school style .

3D BUTTERFLY TATTOO

The 3D effect in tattoos is in great demand lately, precisely because it recalls painting making the tattoo 'alive', almost ready to come out of the skin and soar, just like real butterflies.

In this case the play of chiaroscuro is very important , obtained by skilfully blending black and white to create beautiful shades, useful for making the tattoo three-dimensional.

FLOWER AND BUTTERFLY TATTOOS

Butterflies love to linger among the flowers. Here, in fact, they feed and mate, which is why choosing a butterfly tattoo among the flowers is an ideal and tasteful choice. The flowers are generally very colorful, which is why butterflies with tattooed flowers are often multicolored . However it is also possible to create beautiful tattoos with black and white flowers and butterflies, perhaps with a beautiful gothic style.

TATTOO GROUP OF BUTTERFLIES

They can symbolize one's family or friends, as well as one's wishes . Tattooing a group of butterflies can represent different meanings, including one's own evolution or way of flying, representing butterflies in different positions that mimic flight.

STYLIZED BUTTERFLIES TATTOOS

The stylized butterfly often recalls tribals and is a very interesting tattoo for those who want to give their tattoo a private meaning and a unique style , not easily recognizable or attributable. Here are some interesting examples of stylized butterfly tact to be inspired by.

CREATIVE BUTTERFLY TATTOOS

We can then turn our gaze to the beautiful, creatively styled butterfly tattoos. Among these we find gothic and dark references as well as references to jewels , animals and  origami . These tattoos are an excellent starting point to be able to imagine and then create your own butterfly heart tattoo, the one that speaks of our soul, our experience and our hopes.

PHOTOGRAPHIC GALLERY BUTTERFLY TATTOOS

Here are many images for you: here you will find many butterfly taguaggi ideas useful to unleash your imagination. Only by looking at so many images you can in fact understand which style and type of tattoo is right for you and which us!

Do you like butterfly tattoos? Let us know which style you prefer by leaving us a comment!

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