Sunday Stamps - Under the Sea: Australia, Belize

 Marine life seems to be a suitable topic for 'Under the Sea' but slugs were not initially in my mind until I saw Bennetts Nudibranch.

Australia - 18 June 1984

They seem to be having fun.

Belize's coral reef also seems to be the place for life of a different sort as shown on these stamps also from the same year.

Belize - 27 April 1984

To spend more time under water then please visit the links at Relics at Sunday Stamps

Sunday Stamps B3 Belgium, Belize, Canada

By a coincidence two of the countries I have this week begin with 'B'. However their subjects are also related to 'B'.

Belgium - 10 September 1953
King Baudouin

Baudouin came to the throne after the abdication of of his father King Leopold III. Baudouin was the fifth king of the Belgians from 1951 until his death in 1993.

The marine life on the Belize Coral Reef includes this fish - 

Belize - 27 February 1984
Four-eyed Butterfly Fish

The species gets its name from the dark spots on its dorsal fin.

I wonder whether it contains many bones.

Canada - 5 May 2016
Dr Leonard 'Bones' McCoy

Even if you are not a Star Trek fan you may pick the bones of more 'B' stamps at Sunday-stamps-b.

Spineless invertebrates - Sunday Stamps II

There is nothing like a bit of tautology to confuse me after the blank week last week on 'mammals in the sea'. I thought that I would have a second blank week until I realised that insects are invertebrates and this would permit me to post - 

Great Britain - Anax imperator, 12 March 1985

It was only a short flight for a Emperor Dragonfly to pal up with a butterfly from the United States.

USA - Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, 1 June 2015

Those black stripes on the upper wings give it the 'Tiger' name.

I had to travel to the South Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea to find marine life on the Belize Coral Reef -

Belize - Red Cushion Star, 27 Feb 1984 (-1988)

Oreaster reticulatus can grow up to 50cm (20") in diameter. Most have five arms like the one on the stamp but some may have six or seven.

For more invertebrates follow the link at Sunday Stamps II - 71

Canada to Central America - Sunday Stamps

I thought I would travel North to South down the continent of North America. My journey came up short as I had no stamps south of Mexico until I visited the local market.

As I was setting out on a journey I chose these stamps to start.

Canada

Stopping off in the USA it seemed appropriate to travel overland with the centenary mail.

US Overland Mail Centenary 1958

I arrived in Mexico on the 150th anniversary of their independence.

Mexico Independence 1810 - 1960

It was the power of butterfly wings that took me to my next stop to a country that became independent as recently as 1981, after having changed its name from British Honduras in 1973.

Belize

Despite using a more modern mode of transport I only made it as far as the largest country in Central America, the one with a coastline on both the Atlantic and the Pacific.

Nicaragua

 

If you would like to see more of the continent please visit Viridian at Sunday Stamps 35