Occussi-Ambeno:
2000, Save the Monarch Butterfly.
15th
May, 2000.
Save
the Monarch Butterfly.
| 209 | 60¢ | Multicolored | View stamp |
| 210 | $2 | Multicolored | View stamp |
This set promotes the campaign to save the endangered Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) from extinction. The stamps were printed by the Imperial Occussi-Ambeno Government Printing Office (KDPN) on white gloss paper, and are perf 12. For more information on monarch butterflies, visit the Red Rose Cottage Butterfly Farm. To view monarch butterflies on stamps of St Kitts, click here or here. To view the ICIS butterfly stamps, click here.
| The Monarch Butterfly is one of the more amazing examples of lepidoptera to be found in our tropical country. It begins life as an egg on the Swan plant (Asclepias syrica) or Milkweed, and when it hatches into a tiny caterpillar, it feeds on the leaves of that plant to the exclusion of everything else. The white sap of the swan plant is toxic to most other life forms, but by eating it, the caterpillar becomes toxic to most other creatures, and its prominent yellow and black bands are a warning to birds and others who may seek a tasty morsel that they should stay well clear of this caterpillar. After some weeks, the caterpillar grows to over one inch long and then pupates by transforming into a green sac that hangs batlike from stems or leaves. This finally hatches into the familiar butterfly with its brightly colored wings that is so well known and loved. |
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Today, there are many threats to the continued survival of the monarch. The most serious threat is the widespread recent proliferation of Paper Wasps, which attack and suck juices from the tiny caterpillars and kill them. The pupa stage is likewise very vulnerable to wasp attacks. Many people including His Majesty the Sultan (May He Live Forever!) are today addressing this problem by growing swan plants in pots and encouraging butterflies to visit and lay eggs on them. To protect the caterpillars from the wasp threat, the pots are then taken indoors to let the caterpillars feed and grow and pupate in safe conditions. When the butterflies hatch, they are carefully taken outdoors and released. Many butterflies undertake massive migrations, and many people have tracked and verified these journeys. The photo of the newly-hatched male butterfly on this stamp issue was taken by His Majesty the Sultan (May He Live Forever!) just before the butterfly began his epic migratory flight south to Australia. His Majesty requests that all humans worldaround spend time in bringing more butterflies into the world by growing swan plants and actively protecting caterpillars from harm. |
Butterfly photos Butterfly farm Butterfly studies
