Sunday 18 September 2016

Nuts and Berries

2014: Winter Poetry
The trees and hedgerows are heavy with autumn fruits at the moment and this FDC celebrates those that will brighten the countryside and feed the birds as winter approaches.  Denmark Post and the designer Martin Mörck have came up with the evocative title of 'Winter Poetry'.
Those colours that will brighten the Danish winter are, an ornamental bush in gardens and a hedgerow plant, the snowberry.  Small pink flowers from July- September turn into berries that are what are described as "mildly poisonous" to humans.  Next are the lingonberry which  mainly grow in North and West Jutland has small flowers in June that develop into berries and ripen in summer remaining until the first winter frost. That is if they haven't been made into jam.  Lastly is the firethorn or pyracantha loved by birds and a step up from 'mildly poisonous' to 'slightly poisonous' to humans although actually it is the seeds that cause the problem.

As you have guessed I am counting berries as fruits and am not sure of the difference but there is no doubt the next stamp contains nuts
1951
in the coconut trees appearing on Ceylon's definitive stamp. 
1954: Definitive
The King Coconut known as Thembili  in Sri Lanka is indigenous to the country and sweeter than the familiar coconut and, as can be seen, is an orange colour.  There are different varieties but it is know by Sri Lankan's  as a "living pharmacy" its water being especially wonderful. Sri Lanka does not export a lot of king coconuts as eighty percent of them are consumed in the country itself.

An entry to Sunday Stamps II theme - Fruit and Nuts - more tasty treats on See It On A Postcard

6 comments:

FinnBadger said...

The Danish stamps are stunning, such a crisp clear design.

And I'm thinking that coconuts are not that commonly seen on stamps.

Mail Adventures said...

Wow, love the stamps from Sri Lanka!

Maria said...

It's so nice to see these different berries. Coming from the tropics, these berries are alien to me! The lingonberry is something I learned only 2 and a half years ago when I started sharing a flat with European people. The coconut is an opposite story though as we grow it everywhere in my country :D

Heleen said...

The lingonberry is new to me, too, even though I'm living in the same northern hemisphere as the Danish :-)
But I found out that it lingonberries grow in my country, too, be it rather rare.
The snowberry we used to pick from the plant as a child, and throw it hard to the ground or step on it, because it then made a nice 'plop' sound (in my childhood therefore we named them 'plop berries', but I think this never has been an official name).

The coconut stamps are wonderful!!

Bob Scotney said...

Great set from Denmark. The coconut stamp from Ceylon looks familia, I shall have to check my collection when I get home.

Scriptor Senex said...

That's a lovely set of Danish stamps.