Round stamps plus more!

Working on the premise that usual shape for stamps is either square or rectangle,

I am sharing these two round stamps for the unusually -shaped stamps theme for Sunday Stamps.

The first stamp is from Portugal for the 2010 Campenato do Mundo de Futebol.

It was released on 31 May 2010.

The second stamp is an aromatic stamp from Russia

It's part of the series called the Gifts of Nature issued on 27 August 2003.

Other fruits on the series are pear, melon, wild strawberry, and apple.

On this second set, the first stamp is a cross with rounded edges from Finland.

It's from the theme Flora (Trees), with a birch bud printed on it.

It was issued 24 January 2011.

The hexagon stamp is from a set of 6, souvenir stamp called Bees of Taiwan.

Shown here is the Apis cerana or the eastern honey bee.

It was issued 12 July 2012.

~maria

Mantis & Beetles

The theme this week @ Viridian's Sunday Stamps 

is stamps from China and Taiwan.

I'm happy to find insects at the back of postcards received from 

China and Taiwan. This is like part 2 for my post last week, 

which are beneficial insects from Canada.

Here is a Tenodera aridifolia sinensis or Chinese mantis.

Being a fan of Kung Fu Panda, a computer-generated action/comedy

martial arts film, I was curious whether the mantis technique is related to the 

Chinese Mantis. The answer is yes. Mr. Wiki said that the Praying Mantis kung fu

was developed in the Shangdong Province of China in the mid-1600's

based on the quick movements of the Chinese mantis.

Our second insect is the Aphrodisium faldermannii yuagii.

What a long scientific name! Whew! It's common name is the

"musk long horned beetle". It was issued by the Chunghwa Post in 2010

to raise the awareness about the long-horned beetles.

It's a relatively relaxed Sunday for me so I'll probably get a nap after posting.

I wish it's a relaxed day for all of you, too!

Happy Sunday Stamps, everyone!

~maria

Beneficial insects.

It was pure delight to receive this souvenir sheet. I thought I would only get the regular postcards agreed upon for a swap but I got a beautiful bonus! A Ukranian lady whom I met through direct swaps in the official postcrossing website sent this to me during her first weeks of moving into Canada.

It was released in 19 October 2010 as the second issue to the Beneficial Insects Definitives, first released in 2007. While the first series focused on insects often spotted in the sky, this second series is about plant and ground dwelling bugs, said Keith Martin, the designer of the series.

Featured on the sheet are: the paper wasp (Polistes fuscatus), the assassin bug (Zelus luridus), the large milkweed bug (Oncopeltus fasciatus), the margined leatherwing (Chauliognathus marginatus) and the dogbane beetle (Chrysochus auratus).

The Canada Post website described the bugs: Each of the insects featured is a wonder to watch at work in the garden. There’s the paper wasp, chomping away on caterpillars and other gardening pests. Another “exterminator,” the assassin bug, uses its beak to suck the bodily fluids from its soft-bodied victims. Wildflower gardeners and farmers may appreciate the large milkweed bug for feeding on the juice from milkweed seeds, as well as the larvae of dogbane beetle for feasting on the same plant’s roots. The margined leatherwing larvae should also be prized for consuming a range of harmful insects.



It should be a Sunday Stamps full of surprises today at Viridian's. The theme is 'anything you wish' so I'm really excited to see what my fellow stamps bloggers have posted on their page.

Happy Sunday Stamps everyone!

~maria