We Love Postage Stamps: April 2009

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

The Year of The Ox,2009

The upcoming Year of the Ox falls on January 26th 2009 until February 13th,2010. This is the second year in sequence and recurring in twelve years cycle. According to China / Chinese astrology,the year 2560 will be the Year of Earth Ox.

As stated by one of the most popular myths,the Lord Buddha calling all the animals to come to him before departing this earth. Only 12 animals came after crossing the final river in the race,and as a reward he named a lunar year after each according to the order of its arrival. The Ox was the second to get there after the Rat which rode over his back intelligently jump ahead to reach the first place. The rest followed them were the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse,the Ram, the Monkey, the Rooster,the Dog and the Pig.

According to Chinese Astrology,people have to work harder and need stability in doing their job in the Year of the Ox. This year will be a hard time to get succeed. Patience and diciplin have to be maintained as well as intuition and rationality balancing. The Ox symbolization that holds nature harmony teaches not to set activities causing nature year for those hard thinker sand active planners who believe in and relay on teamwork, running own business or work independently.

The Ox is the sign of prosperity through strength and hard work. The Ox people are born leader,being quite dependable and determined to achieve great things. They are reliable,calm,and modest. The Ox is patient,tireless in their work,and capable of performing endurance without complaint. Ox people need peace and quiet circumstance to work. Once they have set their mind on something it is hard for them to be convinced otherwise. An Ox person has a very logical mind and is extremely intelligent. People born under the influence of the Ox are kind,caring souls,positive,and filled with common sense. Their feet are firmly planted on the ground. Security is their main preoccupation in life. They are prepared to sweat in order to provide a warm, comfortable and stable nest form themselves and their families. Stubborn and individuals hard to be told what to do.

My Collecting : First Day Cover 2 pieces

Butterflies,2007

Butterflies are insect group of the order of Lepidoptera which means scaly wings,and well known for their remarkable life cycle from egg,larva (caterpillar),pupa (chrysalis), and then amazing metamorphosis into its adult form (imago). With colorful dazzling pattern of its wings, most the species are day-flying. Comprising of superfamilies of Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea, butterflies exhibit polymorphism,mimicry and aposematism. Some are developing symbiotic and parasitic relationships with social insects such as ants. Economically, butterflies are important by virtue of being one the major agents of pollination, although a smal number of species are pests domestics crops and trees.

As adults,butterflies consume only liquids which are sucked by means of their proboscis. Butterflies feed primarily on nectar from flowers. Some also derive nourishments from pollen,tree sap,rotting fruit,dung,and dissolved minerals in wet sand or dirt. butterflies sense the air for scents,wind and nectar using their antennae. These antennae are richly covered with sensillae in various shapes and colors.

Butterflies are strongly correlated with environment. Environmental damage has made butterflies population decreased and in turn reduced the fores diverly. Together with other insects and bats, butterflies help pollinating plants and secure forest dynamics. today, butterflies are spread out all over the world except in the very cold arid regions. there are estimated 17,500 species of butterflies out of about 180,000 species of Lepidoptera. More than 1,600 species are found in Indonesia with almost 40 percent of it categorized as endemic to Indonesia.

Capturing the beauty of this insect group,the Directorate General Post and Telecommunications of Indonesia issue stamp series "Butterflies" in commemorating Love Flora and Fauna National Day, 5th November 2007. The stamp design features four species of these lovely creatures.

Delias kristianiae van Mastright,2006

As a family member of Pieridae,this new species in found in Foya Mountain, Papua by Henk va Mastright in 2005 and described by him in 2006. The given is derived from Indonesia's lady,Mrs Kristianti Herawati, to honor and support President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in his effort to preserve Indonesian forest and protecting it against illegal logging. Wings span is 4.5cm.

Ornithoptera aesacus Ney,1903

This beautiful birdwing butterfly is an endemic species in Obi Island and not found in other place in the world. Threatened by habitat alteration as well as over collection due to high demands of collectors,this species should be granted a protection status. Wings span is 12 cm.

Ornithoptera croesus Wallace,1859

The beauty of this birdwing butterfly had caused great excitement to Alfred Russel Wallace who found and described this species. This endemic species can be found only in North Maluku and shall be granted a protection statue. Wings span 14.5 cm

Troides hypolitus Cramer,1775

This birdwing butterfly is one out of 19 species protected in Indonesia. This species is found in Sulawesi and Maluku. Wing span is 12cm

reff : Philatelic Division, Pos Indonesia

Saturday, April 18, 2009

New-Found Species in Papua, Indonesia

At the and of the year 2005, a group of scientists organized an international exhibition called Foja Expedition to explore wildlife of the isolated Foja Mountains on Papua Island ( Indonesia's part or New Guinea ) in the tropical South Pacific. The expedition was sponsored by US-based Conservation International (CI), the Indonesian Institute of Sciences ( LIPI ), Cendrawasih University and Papua Institute of Conservation and Nature Resource. They trekked through an area in the mist-shrouded Foja Mountains, located just north the vast Mamberamo Basin of north-western ( Indonesian ) New Guinea,one of Asia's most isolated jungles. This area is a big virgin jungle, part of Mamberamo River stream the biggest river in Papua.

After spending nearly a month in the locality, the rechears discovered a trove of animals never before documented: new species of frogs, butterflies, plants, and an orange-faced honey eater, the first ne bird from island of Papua in more than 60 years. It's like a lost world has been found. The discoveries have led researches to conclude that more than 300,000 hectares(750,000 acres) of ole-growth tropical forest in the Foja Mountains remain untouched by humans. The team's main discoveries are :

- A new species of hone eater, the first new bird species discovered on the island of Papua since 1939

- The formerly unknown breeding grounds of a "lost" bird of paradise-the six-wired bird o paradise ( Parotia berlepschi )

- First photographs of the golden-fronted bower bird displaying as its bower.

- A new large mammal for Indonesia, the golden-mantled tree kangaroo ( dendrolagus pulcherimmus )

- More than 20 new species of frogs, including a tiny microhylid frog less than 14 mm ( a half inch ) long

- A series of previously under scribed plant species, including five new species of palms

- A white-flowered rhododrendon with flower about 15cm across

- Four new butterfly species.

Papua's forest in the furthest reaches of the Indonesian province of Papua ( Irian ) are some of the most bio diverse in the world, but they are increasingly under threat from commercial logging. However, the Foja Mountains are so isolated they remain untouched by human.
They also found animals, which supposed to exitinc, such as Smoky Honey-eater Bird and Golden-fronted Bower bird. The last found of this species, 1895 in Europe, was in a preserved form. The Biological Scientist thought that the bird was from a Dutch colony area in East Asia. Now, after 110 year past,this species found on Papua Island in the most eastern part of Indonesia.
Before this expedition there have been similiar expeditions on the surrounding area, namely Wapoga Expedition was focused on the jungle beyond Mamberamo River, estuary of Manirim and Hotice species of plants 24 of which are palms and 5 of them are new-found species.

reff : Philatelic Division, Pos Indonesia