vintage and contemporary postcards and stamps from around the world


19 July 2015

Sunday Stamps II - 31


A fritillary butterfly on a thistle. This was a stamp design winner for 1990.
The fritillary gets its name from the checkered pattern on the wings (fritilus is Latin for dice box or chessboard). This particular one is possibly a silver-washed fritillary that feeds on brambles and thistles. The males are smaller and paler than the female.


5 comments:

Joy said...

Beautiful. I like how it stands out against the mysterious background, it even outshines the thistle.

FinnBadger said...

Very subtle, and neat to see the background be a large part of the stamp when the butterfly is the main feature.

viridian said...

This is a lovely stamp.

Maria said...

Thank you for the including the etymology of the word "fritillary" - I've never heard of the word and you saved my time from having to Google it ;-)

Bob Scotney said...

All butterflies look better in their natural surroundings. Fine stamp.