The 2012 New Zealand Native Trees stamp issue features five gummed stamps which portray five iconic native New Zealand trees. Each of the beautiful species is depicted in a detailed illustrative style and the scientific name of each species is included in the design – adding to the authenticity of the issue.

New Zealand’s isolation from the rest of the world has allowed its unique flora to evolve and flourish, resulting in the distinctive array of native trees present today. This high degree of endemism makes New Zealand’s native trees truly special, so much so that Conservation International has recognised New Zealand as a world biodiversity hotspot. Almost all of New Zealand’s native species of conifers, flowering trees and tree ferns occur nowhere else – resulting in native forests like no other on Earth.  (read more)

published January 16th, 2012

Les jardins Saint-Martin (Saint Martin’s Gardens) were the first public gardens to be created in Monaco. They were set out in the reign of Prince Honoré V, and cling to the south-eastern face of the Rock. They offer some lovely walks along winding paths through the lush Mediterranean flora. 

Technical Details:

 Design : CREAPHIL

Printing process : Heliogravure

Size of the stamp : 41 x 30 mm horizontal

Sheet of 10 stamps with illuminations

published December 15th, 2011

The International Bouquet Competition is presided over by H.R.H. the Princess of Hanover, and brings together between 100 and 150 participants every year. The 45th Bouquet Competition will take place on 5th and 6th May 2012 on the Casino Terraces.With reference to the 2011 competition, which was on the theme of South Africa, the stamp features a bouquet of protea, plants that are typical of this country. 

Technical Details:

Design : Colette THURILLET

Printing process : Offset

Size of the stamp : 30 x 41 mm vertical

Sheet of 10 stamps with illuminations 

published December 12th, 2011

“I frequently recur to nature”, says Helene Schmitz, the photographer behind this year’s Aland Christmas stamp depicting a hyacinth. She is universally recognized for her close-up pictures of flowers. At the moment, however, other motifs seem more tempting to her. Helene has worked with a great variety of projects and had exhibitions around the world. Her first publication, “Blow up”, presenting portraits of very large scale flowers, appeared in 2003. In 2007, her book “A Passion for Systems” appeared with beautiful close-up shots of flowers, a publication for which she was awarded nature photographer of the year by Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.  (read more)

published October 12th, 2011

Bernhard Kjellmark was studying botany in 1856 when he heard that there were red waterlilies in the Fagertärn forest lake in the province of Närke in mid-Sweden. He walked through Tiveden’s wilderness to reach the lake and picked several flowers to bring back to his professor at Uppsala University. Kjellmark’s find became a botanical sensation.

The red waterlily still grows in Fagertärn and several other places in Sweden. It is a variation of the white waterlily, a genetic mutation that occurred at some point in history.  (read more)

published September 14th, 2011

The Narcissus flower (commonly known as the Daffodil) stamp issue is released to coincide with  the 27th Asian International Stamp Exhibition Wuxi, Jiangsu, China which takes place in November 2011. The stamps form part of a collection of issues from a number of countries depicting Chinese Flora.

Daffodils are as well loved in the Isle of Man as they are right across the British Isles. Every Island garden shows its rich drifts of cream and gold to welcome the sun in spring. The flowers are to be seen growing in yellow masses in the Island’s beautiful wooded glens, and landowners have planted thousands of bulbs along roadside hedgerows.  (read more)

published September 11th, 2011

Of the more than 400 species of plants that make up the wild flowers of the Faroe Islands, only a few woody plants occur. Two of these ligneous plants are the juniper berry and crowberry.

Common juniper (Juniperus communis subsp. alpina)

Today, several species of conifer and shrub grow in the Faroe Islands. Most of these have been imported and planted here. The only indigenous plant species in the same family as conifers is the juniper. In some areas, the names “juniper” and “juniper berry” are used indiscriminately to describe these plants.  (read more)

published September 8th, 2011

Kings Park Festival is celebrated by Australia Post, with its recently released Floral Festivals Australia stamp issue.

The five 60c stamps feature colourful photographic depictions of popular flower species − the gerbera, jacaranda, Australian everlasting, violet and tulip – representing five floral festivals.

“Western Australia has several thousand native plant species, and the Kings Park Festival provides a perfect opportunity to showcase the state’s many beautiful wildflowers. This floral festival is located in a spectacular setting overlooking Perth and is represented on the stamp by the Australian everlasting,” said Australia Post’s Philatelic Manager, Mr Michael Zsolt.

(read more)

published September 2nd, 2011

The 2011 Garden of Love (Forever®) issuance—ten different first-class stamps depicting a colorful mosaic of flora and fauna in a garden setting—is a continuation of the Love series, begun in 1973. Intended for use on Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day cards, these stamps will add beauty to any expression of love and affection.

Working with art director Derry Noyes, award-winning illustrator José Ortega created an abstract garden of bright flowers, a butterfly, a strawberry, and doves, interlaced with vines that run from one stamp to another. Each prominent element of the design is in the shape of a heart. The deep blue background is reminiscent of a brilliant summer sky. The word “Love” sits atop each stamp.

(read more)

published August 25th, 2011

Birdwing butterflies are the largest of all butterflies. Birdwings are typified by large size (up to a maximum body length of 7.6 cm or 3 inches and a wingspan of 28 cm or 11 inches in O. alexandrae), showy coloration (in contrasting shades of green, yellow, black, white, and sometimes blue or orange), and slender, lanceolate forewings.

The male Birdwing is brightly coloured with green, gold and black, and is smaller than the female. The larger female Birdwing is black and white, with yellow markings on the hindwings. She has a wingspan of up to 20 cm.

With few exceptions (i.e., the New Guinean O. meridionalis and O. paradisea), the hindwings lack tails. Sexual dimorphism is strong in Ornithoptera species only, where males are black combined with bright iridescent green, blue, orange or yellow while the larger and less colourful females are overall black or dark brownish with white, pale brown or yellow markings. (read more)

published August 24th, 2011

On July 21, 2011, An Post issued a further eight stamps for its Irish Animals and Marine Life definitive series, illustrating Ireland’s biodiversity from the seabed to the mountain top. Biodiversity is an all-encompassing term used to describe the variety of all life and natural processes on Earth.

The species featured on these stamps are; the Beadlet Anemone, the Squat Lobster, the Cuckoo Wrasse and the Common Frog.

Most anemones cannot survive out of water, but the Beadlet Anemone can do so, provided it stays damp. At low tide, this anemone can be found on rocky shores with its tentacles retracted, looking like a blob of red or green jelly. (read more)

published August 1st, 2011