Iceland – 50th Anniversary of WWF Organization

In the year 2011,  World Wide Fund for Nature have  celebrated the 50th anniversary. Iceland Post commemorated this  anniversary by issued the special stamp features endangered birds. The officially FDC also issued together with stamp. On the FDC have marked logo of WWF and noticed the 50th anniversary. A comprehensive survey of endangered birds was first issued in the year 2000 listing 32 bird species which account for 42% of all Icelandic breeding birds. Not all these species are in immediate danger of extinction.

Barnacle goose (Branta leucopsis) migrates mainly from northern regions. These birds stop over in Iceland for some weeks every year. The breeding population has increased somewhat in the last few decades.

White-fronted goose (Anser albifrons) is a migratory bird in Iceland. The population numbers around 25.000 birds and has been decreasing during the last decade.

Common scoter (Melanitta nigra) is one of the rarer species of ducks breeding in Iceland. It is a migratory bird and is wholly protected in Iceland.

Gadwall (Anas strepera) was probably first seen in Iceland in the 19th century.  It is estimated that the breeding population numbers 200–300 pairs, mainly around Mývatn. It is a migratory bird with its main winter quarters in Ireland. It is wholly protected in Iceland. (Resources: Iceland Post info )

Butterflies of Ireland - 2005

Ireland Post  has issued the local FDC  together the stamp set featuring the species of butterflies , Small Copper / Lycaena phlaeas, Green Hairstreak / Callophrys rubi , Pearl-bordered Fritillary / Boloria euphrosyne , and Painted Lady on May 24, 2005. The issue stamps have designed by Ian Loe Artwork, consist of 4 single postage stamps and one souvenir sheet. Maxi cards also issued  and depicted each species in more detail.

Small Copper / Lycaena phlaeas

The Small Copper is a fast flying butterfly that, once settled, is unmistakable with its bright copper-coloured forewings. It is a widespread species and a familiar and welcome sight for many naturalists throughout the summer months.This butterfly occurs in discrete colonies throughout the British Isles. Its distribution becomes more patchy in northern England, Scotland and Ireland.

Most colonies are fairly small, with just a few adults being seen on the wing at any one time. It is absent from mountainous areas, the Outer Hebrides, Orkneys and Shetlands.In bright sun it is a very active little butterfly with the males setting up small territories which they will defend vigorously against rival males or indeed any unlucky passing insect. 

The Small Copper, American Copper, or the Common Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) is a butterfly of the Lycaenids or gossamer-winged butterfly family.It is found in a wide variety range of habitats from chalk downlands, heathland, woodland clearings to churchyards and waste ground in cities.

The upperside forewings are a bright orange with a dark outside edge border and with eight or nine black spots.The black spots on the forewings are outlined in yellow and the dark colouring is replaced by a pale brownish, gray.The hindwings are dark with an orange border.The undersides are patterned in a similar way but are paler.The hindwings are the same brown/grey colour with small black dots and a narrow orange border.

The Small Copper favors open land where nectar sources and foodplant are found. Such habitats include grassland, wasteland, heathland, old quarries, embankments, road verges and woodland rides.This sun-loving butterfly is often found resting on the ground, vegetation or flowers, as it absorbs the sun’s rays.

Green Hairstreak / Callophrys rubi

A small butterfly that is widespread throughout Britain and Ireland. Always rests with wings closed showing bright green undersides with faint line of white spots. Upperwings are brown giving brown appearance in flight. The Green Hairstreak holds its wings closed, except in flight, showing only the green underside with its faint white streak.

This species ranges throughout  Europe, parts of North Africa and across Asia to Siberia. It is stable in most of Europe but has declined in several countries.Green Hairstreak colonies may be found on calcareous grassland, woodland rides and clearings, heathland, moorland, bogs, railway cuttings, old quarries, and rough, scrubby grassland. This species occurs on a wide range of soils but is strongly associated with scrub and shrubs, which are usually present at sites where it breeds.

Pearl-bordered Fritillary / Boloria euphrosyne

The pearl-bordered fritillary    (Boloria euphrosyne) is a pale, orange-brown butterfly with black spots and wingspan 38-46 mm. The underside is paler with reddish-brown hind wings featuring pearly, silver spots. The caterpillar is about 2.5 cm long and has a black body with black, yellow or white spines along the back.

This  butterfly gets its name from the series of "pearls" that run along the outside edge of the underside of the hindwing. Males are often seen flying swiftly, low across the breeding site in search of a mate and are extremely difficult to follow, the colouring of the wings providing excellent camouflage against the dead bracken that is often found at these sites.

The pearl-bordered fritillary forms discrete colonies which can be found in isolated pockets in southern and western England, Wales, Scotland and the Burren in western Ireland. Colonies can fluctuate wildly in numbers, from a couple of dozen to over a thousand, this being largely-determined by the availability of suitable habitat. Most colonies contain a few dozen adults.

The pearl-bordered fritillary is typically found in deciduous woodland containing open areas, such as woodland clearings, that provide the right conditions, food-plants and nectar sources for this species to thrive. This butterfly can also be found in conifer plantations and limestone pavements in some areas. 

Males start their day by nectaring on various flowers, such as those of Bugle, Dandelion, Bird's-foot Trefoil and Buttercup, before patrolling low over the breeding sites in search of a mate, investigating any reddish brown object encountered. When a virgin female is found, the female will fly to a suitable platform, sometimes at some height, where the two mate, staying together for 30 to 60 minutes.

It has declined rapidly across the UK, and Scotland is now the major stronghold. Once considered common and widespread, the Pearl-bordered Fritillary is now one of our most-threatened species. The cessation of coppicing which resulted in the loss of suitable habitat is believed to be one of the major causes of this drastic decline. Conservation efforts have therefore focused on habitat management and there have been a number of success stories. However, this butterfly is still declining and, as such, continues to be a priority species for conservation efforts.

 

Painted Lady 

Vanessa cardui is a well-known colourful butterfly, known as the Painted Lady, or in North America as the Cosmopolitan. This butterfly has a strange pattern of flying in a sort of screw shape and  as one of the most widespread of all butterflies, found on every continent except Antarctica and South America.

Vanessa cardui occurs in any temperate zone, including mountains in the tropics. The species is resident only in warmer areas, but migrates in spring, and sometimes again in autumn. The painted lady butterfly travels around 1000 miles in its life. Its wing span is 2 inches. The painted lady caterpillar is black with spiked skin.

Larvae feed on Asteraceae spp., including Cirsium, Carduus,Centaurea, Arctium, Helianthus, and Artemisia spp.

Common and widespread migrant found throughout Britain and Ireland in most years. Orange-brown wings with black and white spots on forewing. Undersides mottled brown with spots.The Painted Lady is a long-distance migrant, which causes the most spectacular butterfly migrations observed in Britain and Ireland.

Each year, it spreads northwards from the desert fringes of North Africa, the Middle East, and central Asia, recolonizing mainland Europe and reaching Britain and Ireland.

In some years it is an abundant butterfly, frequenting gardens and other flowery places in late summer.Because it is a wide-ranging migrant, the Painted Lady may be seen in any habitat. Adults tend to congregate in open areas with plenty of thistles, which serve both as larval foodplants and nectar sources for adults.

Cay Van ( Owston's Banded Civets )- Vietnam 2005

Vietnam Post together with WWF organization issued  stamp set features the rare species, Owston’s palm civet or Chrotogale owstoni on  May 2, 2005. The issue presented in 4 postage stamps and one souvenir sheet . Along with this issuance,  Vietnam Post also released 2 (two) local FDC which depicted the species on the left-side  and a special cancellation mark.

Chrotogale owstoni  or Owston's palm civet  is a civet that lives in the forests and wooded lowland river basins of northern Vietnam, northern Laos and southern China.

The Owston's palm civet is a mid-sized palm civet at 57 cm , plus a tail of 43 cm . With its pointed face, it is sometimes thought to resemble a large insectivore, such as a shrew. It has a tawny buff-grey body with highly contrasted black markings on its back and tail. 

They usually only have 4 bands on their back.

The last two-thirds of the tail is completely black. They look somewhat like the banded palm civet, Hemigalus derbyanus, except for that the hair on the back of their neck are not reversed, and the Owston's has spots on its legs.They feed mostly on earthworms and other invertebrates. The mating season is apparently in late January. After a gestation period of 3 months, a litter of 1-3 young are born.

The Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Program, based at Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam, runs an international conservation and breeding programme for them in cooperation with various zoos including Newquay Zoo. (Resources: Wikipedia)

Orchid flower of Suriname–Special Issued 1986.

This stamp series are special issue by Suriname Post and WWF organization  on 19 February 1998. The Local FDC issued by Suriname Post on the same date. The species depicted on stamps are epidendrum ciliare, epidendrum vespa, epidendrum anceps, cyenoches chlorochilon, meanwhile the species of epidendrum ciliare drawn  on  the left side of fdc. A special post mark have shape of orchid flower.

Epidendrum ciliare , now named  as Coilostylis ciliaris (Fringed Star Orchid), is a type species of orchid in the genus Coilostylis.The plant rarely reaches over 11 inches (28 cm) tall. Epidendrum ciliare is a small epiphytic orchid native to Central America and South America to Brazil. The pseudobulbs are oblong and compressed, with 1-2 leathery leaves. As with all Epidendrums they are very easy to grow, which makes them a good orchid for beginners to grow.  Epidendrum ciliare will bloom year round, the best of flowers come in September and  in January. The inflorescence is an erect cluster of waxy fragrant flowers with long linear greenish-yellow sepals with a lobed and fringed white lip. Epidendrum ciliare is propagated by division of the pseudobulbs in the spring. (Resources : Orchid Web.com)

Cycnoches chlorochilon is native to Panama, Colombia, Venezuela and the Guianas. This plant has magnificent flowers that can be 5-7" across when mature. The bright green flowers also have a wonderful fragrance which smells like banana popsicles.These plants flower during the summer to early fall and have well-shaped, very large 5-7" flowers that have an outstanding fragrance. The colors are dark green with a yellow to whitish colored lip. (Resources: Orchid Web .com)

.Epidendrum anceps  is a species of epiphytic orchid in the genus Epidendrum and exhibits a sympodial growth habit, producing closely spaced reed-like stems up to 5 dm tall  and covered by imbricating sheathes which bear leaves on the upper part of the stem.

The flowers typically contain significant amounts of chlorophyll and yellow pigment—these are often accompanied by enough purple pigment to give the flower a dingy, brown color. The oblong-ovate dorsal sepal can grow as long as 10 mm; the lateral sepals are often wider than the dorsal. The petals are linear.

Epidendrum Vespa  is a species orchid of genus Epidendrum. Epidendrum is  a  large neotropical genus of the orchid family. With more than 1,100 species, some authors describe it as a mega-genus. The genus name refers to its epiphytic growth habit as a moss and humus epiphyte in wet neotropical forests.They are native to the tropics and subtropical regions of the American continents, from South Carolina to Argentina.

Their habitat is epiphytic, terrestrial or rarely lithophytic (growing on bare rock). Most are to be found in the Andes, at altitudes between 1,000 and 3,000 m. Their habitat varies from humid jungles to dry tropical forests, from sunny grassy slopes to cool cloud forests.These plants are predominantly moss and humus epiphytes, growing on trees, rocks, and also terrestrially in humus rich locations in habitat.

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Rare fauna II–Jersey 2004

Jersey Post collaborated with WWF organization  issued the second series of  the rare fauna ( threatened species) on July 27, 2004.The depicted species are Wall Lizard / Podarcis muralis , Ant Lion / Eurolean nostras , Field Cricket / Gryllus campestris, and Dartford Warbler / Sylvia undata. Along with the issue stamp,  Jersey Post released also the local FDC and maxi cards. The local FDC  have marked  image of Dartford Warbler on the left side and a special post mark shown Dartford Warbler also. Meanwhile maxi card  presented more detail of each species and each card have attached stamp of the related species.

Wall Lizard / Podarcis muralis

The common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis) is a species of lizard with a large distribution in Europe.It is also called the European wall lizard. The common wall lizard is a small, thin lizard whose small scales are highly variable in colour and pattern. Its coloration is generally brownish or greyish, and may occasionally be tinged with green.The tail is brown, grey or rust in colour, and may also have light bars on the sides. The belly region has 6 rows of larger rectangular scales that are generally reddish, pink, or oranges.The common wall lizard prefers rocky environments, including urban settings where it can scurry between rock, rubble, debris and buildings.It can grow to about 20 centimetres  in total length.

Ant Lion / Eurolean nostras

Euroleon nostras is an antlion found over most of Europe . Adults may reach up to 30 mm long, with a wingspan of 70 mm . The adults need tall, isolated Scots pine trees nearby, where mating takes place .Larvae require dry sandy soil, close to vertical sandy ledges that help adults emerge.The antlion larvae eat small arthropods - mainly ants -, while the adults of some species eat small pollen and nectar.The adult has two pairs of long, narrow, multi-veined wings in which the apical veins enclose regular oblong spaces, and a long, slender abdomen.

Euroleon nostras are very feeble fliers and are normally found fluttering about in the night, in search of a mate. The adult is thus rarely seen in the wild because it is typically active only in the evening. They are highly active in desert regions and are a nuisance. They will deliver a small, mildly painful bite if given the chance to land on someone.

Field Cricket / Gryllus campestris

Gryllus campestris is one of many crickets known as the Field cricket  and native to Europe. It is endangered in part of its range due to loss of habitat. These insects are dark colored and slightly less than one inch in length. The males range from 19 to 23 mm and the females from 17 to 22 mm.

Gryllus campestris prefer dry, sunny locations with short vegetation. The males make a burrow with a platform at the entrance from which they attract females with their "song." Field cricket  are often found from May to August when the males sit at the mouths of their burrows and sing day and night

Dartford Warbler / Sylvia undata

The Dartford Warbler, Sylvia undata, is a typical warbler from the warmer parts of western Europe and  usually resident all-year in its breeding range, but there is some limited migration. This species as passerine bird has distinct male and female plumages. The length is around 13 cm. The song is  a distinctive rattling warble.The plumage is unobtrusive and muted tones, the colors are adapted to the dry dead plants, old wood or sunny greyish wood on their habitats.

The male  has a grey back and head, reddish underparts, and a red eye . The reddish throat is spotted with white.The female is paler below, especially on the throat, and a browner grey below. The female also muted in color is brown above and lighter below, with the head and the back in gray-brown. Underparts sometimes pink or a pale red. The female also has white spots, although they are smaller and less marked.

The Dartford Warbler is insectivorous, feeding caterpillars, butterflies, beetles, Spiders and larvas, etc. This  species breeds in heathlands, sometimes near coasts, with gorse bushes for nesting.The Dartford Warbler is naturally rare. The investigation was  confirmed that the population was  decline  and consequently up-listed to Near Threatened status in 2008.