#feel free to message me tho if you wanna talk bug tats

[acornered]

@tr1ppykay if you haven't decided on an artist yet, I'd highly recommend Katy Wiedemann if you are in/can get to the east coast usa (her insta is the first result on google). She used to be a scientific illustrator and her insect tattoos are GORGEOUS. She's done 2 bug tattoos for me (a spotted lanternfly on my shoulder and a cicada chest piece), and the whole experience from seeing her initial design to the healed work on my body years later is amazing.

hi! i have a slightly weird question. im planning on getting another bug tattoo, but this one is going to have a lot of meaning. my idea is a gynandromorphic dragonfly as a full back tattoo, since dragonflies represent freedom, transformation and harmony- it is meant to represent my transition and self realization as an androgynous genderfluid person, the harmony between my different genders, and the freedom i feel from expressing my identity. the problem is i am having a hard time finding good, clear photo sources of any examples of gynandromorphism in dragonflies. if you have any i would greatly appreciate it. (ideally i would like to include a full life cycle up the length of my spine, but if there aren't any photos of it in nymphs as well i understand)

alternatively, i could always cheat and create my own image, in that case do you know which species of dragonflies have the most visible sexual dimorphism so the design can read clearly? thanks in advance :)

That's a great tattoo idea! Unfortunately I have never come across photos of a bilateral gynandromorph dragonfly. There are tons of dragonflies with obvious sexual dimorphism, but since I don't know what colors/patterns might appeal to you personally, it's hard to narrow it down. I would say visit iNat (link below) and look at the photos of dragonfly species all over the world - any that you like, you can click on and sort the photos by male or female so you can see the differences. Bonus that once you settle on a species you like, there'll be many MANY reference photos for you and your artist to choose from. Hopefully that's helpful! https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&taxon_id=47927&view=species