TAIWAN - NATURE

Sizihwan Bay

Sizihwan Bay is located on the west of Kaohsiung City. Situated between Wanshou Shan and Chichin Island, Sizih Bay is a sandy beach and with beautiful coral formations on the coastlines, offering magnificent views of the nature. Watching the sunset over Sizihwan Bay is one of the highlights of Kaohsiung. At dusk, people gather along the stone railing beside the sea, to get a good view of the sunset. As night falls, couples can be found in the gaps between the railings. These gaps in the railings are referred to as "Lovers' Caves" or "Carrot Pits", making Sizihwan Bay a tremendously romantic place to visit.

 

A nice stamp.

Received from: Kumickey

FLOWERS AND BERRIES

Tulips

Tulips are spring-blooming perennials that grow from bulbs. Depending on the species, tulip plants can grow as short as 4 inches (10 cm) or as high as 28 inches (71 cm). The tulip's large flowers usually bloom on scapes or subscapose stems that lack bracts. Most tulips produce only one flower per stem, but a few species bear multiple flowers on their scapes. Tulip flowers come in a wide variety of colors, except pure blue. Although tulips are often associated with the Netherlands, commercial cultivation of the flower began in the Ottoman Empire.

A nice stamp.

Received from: rispa

 

Lily

Lilies form an important group of flowering garden plants and are important in culture and literature in much of the world. A few species are sometimes grown or harvested for the edible bulbs. The species in genus Lilium are true lilies. Many other plants have "lily" in their common names, some of which are quite unrelated to true lilies. Lilies are leafy stemmed herbs. They form naked or tunic-less scaly underground bulbs which are their overwintering organs. Mostspecies are native to the temperate northern hemisphere, though their range extends into the northern subtropics.

A nice stamp.

Received from: pooh12411

Comparing with each other's height

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: mii00017

The Butchart Gardens

The Butchart Gardens is a group of floral display gardens in Brentwood Bay, British Columbia, Canada, located near Victoria on Vancouver Island. The gardens receive more than a million visitors each year. The gardens have been designated a National Historic Site of Canada due to their international renown. Each year over 50,000 additional bulbs are imported from Holland to add to the spectacular spring display. All 50 acres of gardens are open year-round, and night illuminated early May through September.

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: linny4570

Poppy

A poppy is one of a group of a flowering plants in the poppy family, many of which are grown in gardens for their colorful flowers. Poppies are sometimes used for symbolic reasons, such as in remembrance of soldiers who have died during wartime. Poppies have long been used as a symbol of sleep, peace, and death: sleep because of the opium extracted from them, and death because of the common blood-red color of the red poppy in particular. A second interpretation of poppies in Classical mythology is that the bright scarlet colour signifies a promise of resurrection after death. Ancient Egyptian doctors would have their patients eat seeds from a poppy to relieve pain. Modern science tells us why this worked: poppy seeds contain both morphine and codeine, excellent pain-relieving drugs that are still used today. The girl's given name Poppy is taken from the flower.

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: Ponamka

 

 

Cloudberries

The ripe fruits are golden-yellow, soft and juicy, and are rich in vitamin C. When eaten fresh, cloudberries have a distinctive tart taste. When over-ripe, they have a creamy texture somewhat like yogurt and a sweetened flavour. They are often made into jams, juices, tarts, and liqueurs. In Finland, the berries are eaten with "leipäjuusto" (a local cheese; the name translates to "bread-cheese"), and lots of cream and sugar. In Sweden, cloudberries or cloudberry jam, are used as topping for ice cream, pancakes and waffles. In Norway, they are often mixed with whipped cream and sugar to be served as a dessert called "multekrem" (Cloudberry cream), as a jam or even as an ingredient on home made ice cream. They may also be added to cakes that often contain marzipan.

In Canada, cloudberries are used to flavour a special beer. Canadians also use them for jam, but not on the same scale as Scandinavians. In Alaska, the berries are mixed with seal oil, reindeer or caribou fat (which is diced up and made fluffy with the seal oil) and sugar to make "Eskimo Ice Cream" or Agutak. The recipes vary by region. Along the Yukon and Kuskokwim river areas, white fish (pike, whitefish) along with shortening and sugar is used. Due to its high vitamin C content, the berry is valued both by Nordic seafarers and by the Inuit as protection against scurvy. Its benzoic acid content acts as a natural preservative. Tea made from cloudberry leaves was used in ancient Scandinavian herbal medicine to cure urinary tract infections.

A nice stamp.

Received from: onneli78

Rhododendron

Rhododendron is a genus of over 1000 species of woody plants in the heath family. Most species have showy flowers. Rhododendron is a genus characterized by shrubs and small to (rarely) large trees. They may be either evergreen or deciduous. In some species, the undersides of the leaves are covered with scales (lepidote) or hairs (indumentum). Some of the best known species are noted for their many clusters of large flowers. There are alpine species with small flowers and small leaves, and tropical species such as section Vireya that often grow as epiphytes. Species in this genus may be part of the heath complex in oak-heath forests in eastern North America.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A nice stamp.

Received from: smoggyfrog

TAIWAN - OTHERS

Cranes

The Crane is legendary in China for being the prince of all feathered creature on earth. Next to the Phoenix, the Crane is the most favored all Chinese bird symbols. The Crane is the ancient symbol for longevity because of its exceptionally long life span. In many legends, the spirits ride on cranes, which are also said to bear the souls of the departed to the heavens.

A nice stamp.

Received from: Chang-Chia-Pei

 

 

 

Caligraphy on Szechwan Silk by Mi Fu

This handscroll of prized Szechwan silk was made in 1044 under the reign of Emperor Jen-tsung. The top and bottom grid lines were woven into the scroll with the vertical ones drawn in ink, indicating that this type of silk was especially made for calligraphy. The owner of this scroll of silk had asked renowned calligraphers to write on it, but they only made records at the end. He then encountered Mi Fu, who consented to write a long piece of calligraphy. The date that he included at the end of the scroll corresponds to the year 1088.

A beautiful stamp.

Received from: ritacyc

 

 

Taiwan high speed rail

Taiwan High Speed Rail is a high-speed rail line that runs approximately 345 km (214 mi) along the west coast of the Taiwan, from the national capital of Taipei to the southern city of Kaohsiung. The line runs on viaducts or through tunnels for most of its length, with technology based mainly on Japan's Shinkansen system mixed with European standards and system components. The line opened for service on January 5, 2007, using trains with a top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph), which offer journey times from Taipei to Kaohsiung in as short as 96 minutes.

 

 

 

 

Nice stamps.

Received from: Sgenius

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013

 

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: chabg3

TAIWAN - TAIPEI

Taipei 101

Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Situated at the northern tip of the island of Taiwan, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River. Taipei 101 comprises 101 floors above ground and 5 floors underground. The building was architecturally created as a symbol of the evolution of technology and Asian tradition. Its postmodernist approach to style incorporates traditional design elements and gives them modern treatments. The tower is designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes. Taipei 101 features an Indoor Observatory (89th floor) and an Outdoor Observatory (91st floor). Both offer 360-degree views and attract visitors from around the world.

 

A nice stamp.

Received from: Dai-yuan

 

 

 

Taipei railway station

A nice stamp.

Received from: peggy1984422

Fisherman's Wharf

Fisherman's Wharf is a multi-purpose leisure fishing port developed by the New Taipei City Government. There are magnificent floating piers and a spacious park, with a bridge in the shape of a boat spanning across the harbor and a wooden path stretching over 300 meters at the waterfront. It is relaxing to lean against the fence enjoying the breeze and sights at the Danshui River mouth. In the evening, this is the best place to watch the view of the sunset.

A nice stamp.

Received from: WendyLiao

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a famous monument, landmark and tourist attraction erected in memory of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China. The monument, surrounded by a park, stands at the east end of Memorial Hall Square. The structure is framed on the north and south by the National Theater and National Concert Hall. The entire plaza is located within sight of the Presidential Office Building. The Memorial Hall is white with four sides. The octagonal roof rises 76 metres (249 ft) above the ground and is covered with blue glazed tiles. Two sets of white stairs, each with 89 steps to represent Chiang's age at the time of his death, lead to the main entrance.

 

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: carly0912

TAIWAN - SUN MOON LAKE

Sun Moon Lake

Sun Moon Lake is the largest body of water in Taiwan as well as a tourist attraction. It  surrounds a tiny island called Lalu. The east side of the lake resembles a sun while the west side resembles a moon, hence the name.

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: Baiyun

Received from: Poem_colouringclouds

 

Received from: zaphdealle

ANIMALS - BIRDS

Roadrunner

The roadrunner is a member of the Cuckoo family. It lives in the thorny scrub, sparse grasslands and deserts of Mexico and of the Southwestern United States. It can run up to 17 miles per hour. It can keep its large body airborne for just more than a few seconds and so prefers walking or running.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: SolArts66

Black-crowned Night Heron

These birds stand still at the water's edge and wait to ambush prey, mainly at night or early morning. They primarily eat small fish, crustaceans, frogs, aquatic insects, small mammals and small birds. During the day they rest in trees or bushes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wonderful envelope with a lot of stamps.

Received from: micio

 

 

 

 

Red Kite

Red Kites are distinctive because of their forked tail and striking colour - predominantly chestnut red with white patches under the wings and a pale grey head.
They have a wingspan of nearly two metres, but a relatively small body.
This means the bird is incredibly agile, and can stay in the air for many hours with hardly a beat of its wings. Red Kites are predators and take a wide variety of live prey, ranging from earthworms to small mammals, amphibians and birds.

 

 

 

 

A beautiful stamp.

Received from: danieleastwood90

 

Swan

The swans are the largest members of the duck family Anatidae, and are among the largest flying birds. Their wingspans can be almost 3 m. Swans usually mate for life, though 'divorce' does sometimes occur, particularly following nesting failure. The number of eggs in each clutch ranges from three to eight.

 

 

 

 

Many stamps.

 Received from: begemotik

 

Black Stork

The Black Stork is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It is a widespread, but uncommon, species that breeds in the warmer parts of Europe (predominantly in central and eastern regions), across temperate Asia and Southern Africa. This is a shy and wary species, unlike the closely related White Stork. It is seen in pairs or small flocks—in marshy areas, rivers or inland waters. The Black Stork feeds on amphibians and insects.

 

 

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: lenasmile

Osprey

The Osprey, sometimes known as the sea hawk, fish eagle or fish hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than 60 cm (24 in) in length and 180 cm (71 in) across the wings. It is brown on the upperparts and predominantly greyish on the head and underparts, with a black eye patch and wings. The Osprey tolerates a wide variety of habitats, nesting in any location near a body of water providing an adequate food supply.

 

A nice stamp.

Received from: Springlight

 

 

 

Olive Bee Eater

The Olive Bee-eater is found in the grassland and coastal mountain forests of East Africa and Madagascar, and an isolated population can be found in coastal Angola. They are partially migratory, and usually breed only in the southern portion of their range, moving north for the dry season in southern Africa. It lays four eggs in a burrow nest at the beginning of the southern African wet season, and the chicks usually hatch at the beginning of December.

 

A beautiful stamp.

Received from: yulien

 

 

 

 

 

Minnesota Birds

The Northern Cardinal is a mid-sized songbird with a body length of 21 centimeters (8.3 inches). It has a distinctive crest on the head and a mask on the face which is black in the male and gray in the female. The male is a vibrant red, while the female is a dull red-brown shade. The Northern Cardinal is mainly granivorous, but also feeds on insects and fruit. The Great Northern Loon, is a large member of the loon, or diver, family of birds. The species is known as the Common Loon in North America and the Great Northern Diver in Eurasia. This species, like all divers, is a specialist fish-eater, catching its prey underwater, diving as deep as 200 feet (60 m). The Black-capped Chickadee is a small, North American songbird. It is notable for its capacity to lower its body temperature during cold winter nights, its good spatial memory to relocate the caches where it stores food, and its boldness near humans (they can feed from the hand).

Beautiful stamps.

Received from: Spriggan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bald Eagle

The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. Its range includes most of Canada and Alaska, all of the contiguous United States, and northern Mexico. It is found near large bodies of open water with an abundant food supply and old-growth trees for nesting. The Bald Eagle is both the national bird and national animal of the United States of America. The Bald Eagle appears on its Seal.

 

A beautiful stamp.

Received from: RobinP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stork

Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. Storks occur in many regions of the world. Storks have no syrinx and are mute, giving no call; bill-clattering is an important mode of stork communication at the nest. Many species are migratory. Most storks eat frogs, fish, insects, earthworms, small birds and small mammals. Their nests are often very large and may be used for many years. Some nests have been known to grow to over 2 m (6 ft) in diameter and about 3 m (10 ft) in depth.

 

Beautiful EUROPA stamps.

Received from: littlesquirrel