COVER N. 537 - CZECH REPUBLIC

Postmark: ORLI Praha 8 22.11.2024

Posted on the 22nd November; Received on the 3rd December 2024

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Děkuji mnohokrát, Ivan, for  another cover graced with the lovely nature history stamps the Czech Republic has been issuing for some years now. I really like them!

This year, the lovely natural history souvenir sheet was dedicated to "the young in our nature" and the stamps ares thus superbly (as usual) illustrated with paintings of juveniles of several mammal species, under the caring gaze of their mothers.

The sheet, issued on 04SEP2024, comprises 4 stamps (34, 27, 31, 38 koruna) and two vignettes. The 34 k stamp, on the cover features a lovely red squirell (Sciurus vulgaris), a common sight in much of Eurasia, in coniferous forests in northern europe and siberia and broad-leaved woods in western and southern Europe. 

In my own country red squirrels were extinct by the 16th century. Still they made a comeback, after the 80's of last century, when they started to be seen again in the forests up north, bordering the Spanish Galicia region. 

In Lisbon, following a successful intrductuon programe that took place in the 90s,  they can also be found in Monsanto Park, the city's largest green "lung".

The vignette attached to the stamps bears an image of mama garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) and one of her babies (its siblings must be hidding somewhere for litters have up to seven little mice). 

As usual, the frame of the sheet is also magnificently illustrated and on the particular piece attached to the stamp on the cover, further to papa squirell, a baby Eurasian golden oriole (Oriolus oriolus) rests in its nest under the protective watch of its father. Golden Orioles in Portugal are called papa-figos (fig-eater) for they love to feed on these sweet fruits.

Butterflies arfe also the kind of creatures that really tickle my fancy.... not only the gracefully fly  as if untouched by gravity, but most of the times their wings are absolute masterpieces of abstract art.

 Beginning in 2020, Czech Post has been issueing every once in a while a series of definitive stamps featuring butterfly illustrations (again, superb, in spite of their small size). The 1 koruna stamp  featuring  an Orange Tip (Anthocharis cardamines), a member of the Pieridae family which can be found all over Europe was issued on 15FEB2021; The 4 koruna stamp, issued on 07OCT2020 bears the illustration of a Colias croceus, a member of the Pieridae family present all over Europe and is a large part of Asia;  The 5 koruna stamp was issued on 18OCT2024, showcases a silver-washed fritillary (Argynnis paphia), a member of the  Nymphalidae family which is also a common sight in much of Europe and Asia, up to Japan.

The special postmark, dated of 22.11.2024,  was issued in connection with an issue of  a booklet of personalised stamps dedicated to Eagles (Orli, in Czech).