Third and last issue in the series about Greenlandic herbs with beautiful designs by Nina Spore Kreutzmann is rounded off with designs of two very delicious herbs.
published July 27th, 2013
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The remote atolls of Tokelau have a small but colourful butterfly fauna of three species. These delicate creatures are the subject of Tokelau’s latest stamp issue: Tokelau Butterflies.
These impressive butterfly species are widespread within Tokelau and across the South Pacific. All three species are attractive and relatively large, adding a colourful touch to Tokelau’s wildlife. They are familiar in both the villages and the surrounding, less populated areas of the coast.
The four gummed stamps in the issue feature the Blue Moon (female and male), the Common Crow and the Meadow Argus.
45c Blue Moon (female)
The Blue Moon (Hypolimnas bolina pallescens) is the most common and widespread butterfly in the tropical South Pacific, where four subspecies are recognised. The adults are sexually dimorphic, with the larger females more variable in colour. The adult butterflies of the species have wingspans between 56mm and 90mm.
$1.00 Blue Moon (male)
In addition to the Tokelau Islands, this Blue Moon subspecies ranges from Fiji and Tonga to all the islands of the Samoan Archipelago. Interestingly, this species is territorial, with the male taking up a vantage point on a tree and driving off any intruder as it awaits a passing female.
$1.40 Common Crow
The Common Crow (Euploea lewinii bourkei) is found across the Pacific, with eight subspecies recognised on different sets of islands. This subspecies is confined to Tokelau and American Samoa and is very common around the coasts of both places, where the larvae feed on fig tree foliage. The flight is slow and lazy, but when disturbed the butterfly can make a fast escape. The wingspan is between 62mm and 72mm.
$3.00 Meadow Argus
The Meadow Argus (Junonia villida) is a widespread and pretty butterfly of the tropical Pacific that was first discovered in Tonga. With a wingspan of 35mm-46mm, it delights in sunbathing on bare ground, including roads and tracks, but flies off quickly when disturbed. It generally flies close to the ground and can be very elusive.
Pre-order your stamp products today for 7 August 2013.
Source: New Zealand/Tokelau Post
published July 27th, 2013
The Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix) is a small bird of the pheasant family who mainly lives in farmland – in fields as well in pasturelands. It passes the winter in groups, often in the vicinity of human settlements.
published April 14th, 2013
“Three things are beyond me; four I cannot fathom: How a Vulture makes its way over the sky…”
The Griffon Vulture, the Bearded Vulture, the Lappet-faced Vulture and the Egyptian Vulture are all scavengers which have been making their mark on the Israeli landscape since biblical times. The Vulture is mentioned 28 times in the Bible and it served as an ancient symbol of royalty both in Mesopotamia and in Egypt during the time of the Pharaohs. Anyone who has seen flocks of vultures soaring along the top of a cliff in the Golan Heights, the Judean Desert or the Negev Desert cannot help but be impressed by their strength and beauty. Maimonides was known as “The Great Vulture” and for good reason. These birds played an exceedingly important role as “nature’s orderlies” within the food chain, preventing the spread of disease and plague, thus ancient peoples treated them with great respect.
published April 10th, 2013
A chain of alpine summits, amongst the highest mountains in the British territories, these are the icy jewels in the crown with unclimbed peaks that have been unattainable for so long. There are mountains that might take a week to climb from the shore and sometimes rebuff much longer efforts with the foulest weather and fierce storms that can lend fear and despondency into the very soul of even the most determined mountaineers.
published October 27th, 2012