Murex Shells of Fiji

 

Fiji Post Limited pleased to issue a set of four postage stamps feature Fiji’s murex shells on August 20, 2002. The issue stamps are depicting murex shells species : Saul’s murex or Chicoreus saulii, Murex tribulus or Caltrop Murex, Purple Pacific Droop or Drupa morvum , and Ramose Murex or chicoreus ramosus.

 

 

The 69c stamp present Saul’s Murex or Chicoreus saulii. Chicoreus saulii is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Muricidae, the murex snails or rock snails.

The shell size varies between 60 mm and 142 mm.This species is distributed in the Indian Ocean along the Mascarene Basin; in the Pacific Ocean along Japan and Papua New Guinea.

Chicoreus saulii is found almost exclusively on the seaward reef, either under rocks during the day or in ledges and small caves at night. It is nearly always found covered with its red sponge coat, although it can wear off on some older specimens. The shells with the sponge rarely have any kind of calcareous growths on the shell, but shells that lose the protective red covering quickly become encrusted.

Coral Reef Shrimps of Fiji

 

Fiji Post Limited  released a set of 4 postage stamps feature the Fiji’s Coral reef shrimps on  June 30, 2004 . The shrimp species depicted on stamps are Boxer shrimp or Stenopus tenuirostris, Bumblebee shrimp  or Gnathophyllum americanum, Mantis shrimp  or Odontodactylus scyllarus, Anemone shrimp or Peroclimenes brevicarpalls.

 

The 58 c stamp presents Blue Coral Shrimp, or Blue Boxing Shrimp , also known as Stenopus tenuirostris . Blue Coral Shrimp,  are also sometimes referred to as "Boxing Shrimp". Both males and females have very large front claws that can be close to their entire body length in size. They also have long, whisker-like antennae.

This tough and hardy critter is frequently seen cleaning parasites off of fish but is also capable of eating them as it grows larger. It is best known for wiping out complete populations of bristle worms. It will likely attack other shrimps and crustaceans; including snails.

Tree Top Walk

To dedicated the  Care for Nature, Singapore Post issued a set of four stamps feature the “Tree Top Walk” species on October 19, 2005 . The species depicted on stamps are Red-crowned Barbet, Singapore Adenia, Colugo,  and Common Tree Nymph.

Red-crowned Barbet

The Red-crowned Barbet (Megalaima rafflesii) is a species of bird in the Ramphastidae family. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. 

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and plantations. It is threatened by habitat loss.

Singapore Adenia  or Adenia macrophylla var. singaporeana

The Singapore Adenia is a botanical variety of the species Adenia macrophylla. This variety occurs only in Johor and Singapore. Here, this nationally rare forest-edge species is found in Chek Jawa and along the pipeline in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

 

 

Wealth of Latvian Forest - 2008

Latvia Post released  a set of two stamps feature the Wealth of Latvian Forest on September 6, 2008.

The issue stamps depict flora species, Vaccinum myrtillus or  Blueberry, Leccinum Aurantiacum.

The 22 stamp present fruit species, Vaccinium myrtillus.

Vaccinium myrtillus is a species of shrub with edible fruit of blue color, commonly called  "European blueberry". It is more precisely called Common Bilberry or Blue Whortleberry, to distinguish it from other Vaccinium relatives. Vaccinium myrtillus is found natively in Europe, northern Asia, Greenland, Western Canada, and the Western United States. It occurs in the wild on heathlands and acidic soils. It is one of the wild origins and predecessors of the North American blueberry.

Vaccinium myrtillus has been used for nearly 1,000 years in traditional European medicine. Herbal supplements of Vaccinium myrtillus (bilberry) on the market are used for circulatory problems, as vision aids, and to treat diarrhea and other conditions.

Since bilberries are more fragrant, and have more concentrated flavor and vitamins (like all more natural wild fruit varieties), they are especially well suited for making cough syrups and bilberry wine.In traditional medicine, Bilberry leaf is used for different conditions, including diabetes.

The Stone crayfish of Slovenia - 2011

 

Slovenia Post has collaborated with WWF organization issued the stamp set features the specific species  of Slovenia, Stone crayfish. The issue comprises of 4 postage stamps and one local official first day cover. All stamp depicted this species in their environment and have marked of WWF logo .

The Local WWF Cover of this stamp series  presented in the other blogs  “Stone crayfish” . This official FDC released together with the issue of  stamps.

Three species of crayfish live in fresh water in Slovenia: the noble crayfish, the stone crayfish and white-clawed crayfish.

The stone crayfish or  Austropotamobius torrentium,  is a European species of freshwater crayfish in the family Astacidae.

It is mostly found in tributaries of the Danube, having originated in the northern part of the Balkan Peninsula..

Its range extends throughout central and southern Europe. In Slovenia it is widespread mainly in the Sava and Drava watersheds, and is less present in the Primorska and Pomurje regions.

Barred-winged Rail

Fiji Post dedicated to the extinct bird species  by issuing a set of two stamps series which represented in one beautiful miniature sheet on  December 3,  2007. The species featured on stamps is the Barred-winged Rail (Nesoclopeus poecilopterus).

 

The Barred-winged Rail (Nesoclopeus poecilopterus) was a species of bird in the Rallidae family. It was endemic to Fiji. It has not been recorded since 1973 and is now Extinct.

Nesoclopeus poecilopterus was a flightless island ground-nesting forest/freshwater swamp dweller and is believed to have disappeared after the introduction of the mongoose and cats to the islands.

Birds of Latvia - 2012

 

Following to the previous issues of Birds of Latvia series, Latvia Post issued two stamps with pictures of traditional Latvian birds:  the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) and the Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis).

The denomination of Barn Swallow is LVL 0.35 and  the denomination of Goldfinch is LVL 0.98. The stamps have been designed by artist Ģirts Grīva.

 

The Barn Swallow is the most widespread species of swallow. It is a bird of open country and builds nests in closed, man-made structures protected from precipitation and wind. 

The Barn Swallow is renowned for its skill of catching insects in flight. To many nations, the Barn Swallow is a symbol of hope, luck, and the coming of spring; Latvian beliefs about swallows relate to the weather, money and happiness.

 

The release of the stamps is accompanied by two first-day covers and two special cancellations. The covers are adorned by pictures of the barn swallow and the goldfinch in their natural environment, while the cancellation depicts each bird in graphical form.

The Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) is the most widespread species of swallow in the world. It is a distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts, a long, deeply forked tail and curved, pointed wings. It is found in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.

Vegetable Blossoms

On March 08, 2012, Switzerland-La Poste pleased to launch a set of three stamps feature vegetable blossoms.  The issued stamps depict tomato’s flower, runner bean’s flower, onion’s flower.

The 140 stamp present Tomato flower. Tomato plants are dicots, and grow as a series of branching stems, with a terminal bud at the tip that does the actual growing. Most tomato plants have compound leaves, and are called regular leaf (RL) plants.

Their flowers, appearing on the apical meristem, have the anthers fused along the edges, forming a column surrounding the pistil's style. Flowers in domestic cultivars tend to be self-fertilizing. The flowers are 1–2 centimetres  across, yellow, with five pointed lobes on the corolla; they are borne in a cyme of three to 12 together.

Birds of Latvia - 2011

Latvia Post has issued a set of two stamps series feature Latvian Birds, following the previous  series “Birds of Latvia  2010” on September 23, 2011. The issued stamps depict Icterine Warbler and Snake Eagle, design by  artist Ģirts Grīva .

Hippolais icterina

The Icterine Warbler (Hippolais icterina) is a small songbird, found in the territory of Latvia from early spring to fall. The bird is most frequently found in bushes of woodland, as well as in parks and gardens; it loves being near water. The Icterine Warbler is insectivorous, but also takes other food items, such as berries. The Icterine Warbler's song sounds like a fast murmur.

The Icterine Warbler (Hippolais icterina) is an Old World warbler in the tree warbler genus Hippolais. The term icterine refers to its yellowish colouration. It breeds in mainland Europe except the southwest.It is migratory, wintering in sub-Saharan Africa.

The stamps are accompanied by a release of two first-day envelopes and special cancellations. The envelopes show the Icterine Warbler and the Snake Eagle in their typical environment, while the cancellation depicts each bird graphically.

Snails of Algerie

Algerie Poste pleased to release a set of two stamps feature snails, Rumina decollata and Helix aspersa, on May 21, 2003.

Rumina decollata is a medium-sized predatory land snail, and feeds readily upon common garden snails and slugs and their eggs.

Rumina decollata, or  Decollate snail,   is  a species of terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Subulinidae. It is a European species that has been introduced in a number of areas worldwide.Decollate snails are tolerant of dry and cold conditions, during which they burrow deep into the soil. They are most active during the night and during rainfall.

Its shell  is long and roughly cone-shaped. Rumina decollata grows to approximately 40 mm in length, and upon reaching mature size, grinds or chips off the end of its own shell by moving its body roughly against hard surfaces, so that the shell takes on a decollate shape, tapering to a blunt end.

Garden Flowers of Liechtenstein

After succeed  three part Definitive series “Butterflies”, Liechtenstein Post issued the 2012 definitive stamps with the theme  "flower garden". In the first, again designed by Stefan Erne issue the peony, dahlia and zinnia are shown.

The  CHF 0.85 stamp present "Dahlia" , Dahlia hortensis , which originally from Central America and Mexico native and from the beginning of the 19th century introduced in Europe. This species  belongs to the daisy family and is another common ornamental plant that blooms from July to October. The approximately 20,000 different varieties of dahlias are divided into 10 groups of species. On a semi-permanent mark Cactus Dahlia (variety "kumquat") is shown.

Popular Flower on Stamps – Rose

On March 25, 2011, to mark the coming of the spring, Latvia Post has released a new stamp in the Popular Flowers series - the Rose designed artist Lilija Dinere. The flower motif in stamps is very popular among clients, ”Rose is a very beautiful, bright, summery stamp “. Therefore  Latvia Post has chosen, Rose as part of  a special series dedicated to popular flowers.

A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of plants that can be erect shrubs, climbing or trailing with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles.

Flowers vary in size and shape and are usually large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows and reds.

Most species are native to Asia, with smaller numbers native to Europe, North America, and northwest Africa. Species, cultivars and hybrids are all widely grown for their beauty and often are fragrant.

Dragonflies of Vanuatu

The  dragonflies appeared over long time ago and  they have developed into many different sub species. There are more than 5000 species of dragonflies existing in the world today. Now dragonflies have  been included   in the  Vanuatu’s ecosystem as  the  valuable predators that eat mosquitoes, and other small insects like flies, ants and wasps .

Vanuatu Post pleased to launch a set of four stamps and one unique souvenir sheet features the species of Dragonflies which found in Vanuatu on February 22, 2012. The stamp set designed by Sue Wickison from Wellington, New Zealand. The depicted species are Yellow striped Flutterer Rhyothemis Phyllis , Globe Skimmer Pantala flavescens , Fiery Skimmer Orthetrum villosovittatum,  and Painted Grasshawk Neurothemis stigmatizans.

Flower Growing - Beauty of Orchids

Orchids are easily distinguished from other plants, as they share some very evident apomorphies. Among these are: bilateral symmetry (zygomorphism), many resupinate flowers, a nearly always highly modified petal (labellum), fused stamens and carpels, and extremely small seeds.

All orchids are perennial herbs, lack any permanent woody structure, and can grow in monopodial and sympodial patterns.

The world's richest concentration of orchid varieties is found in the tropics, mostly Asia, South America and Central America.

To dedicated the beauty of orchids, Czech  Post  pleased to launch a set of four stamps which composed in one beautiful miniature sheet.

 

The species depicted on stamps  are Dendrobium peguanum, Stanhopea tigrina, Cattleya aclandiae and Paphiopedilum charlesworthii.