Discover Romania - Transylvania

Surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, Transylvania- Terra Ultrasilvana or “the land beyond the forests” - is the territory where the Dacian state, ruled by King Burebista, experienced the most prosperous period in the history of the Geto-Dacians and, at the same time, by its organisation and expansion, it laid the foundation of the future Romanian territories.

Issued 15. March 2013 the stamps show as follows:

Fortified Church from Viscri (Brasov County)

turistderomania.ro

Guest House from Valea Zalanului (Covasna County)

Landscape from Hosman (Sibiu County)

Saint Mihail Church from Cluj-Napoca (Cluj County)

Thanks to Viridian who is keeping up the good job with Sunday Stamps. I am glad I could take part this time too. Do you want to see more churches and castles? Take a look at her Blog.

Live healthy

Romfilatelia introduces into circulation the postage stamps issueLive healthy!, thus adding a new set of stamps to the topic initiated in 2012, which suggestively illustrates the natural resources that should lie at the basis of a healthy nutrition, such as: honey, walnuts, peanuts, wild berries (raspberries, blueberries and blackberries) and cinnamon.

Looks pretty nice, isn´t it? It is a perfect sheet for food-stamp-lovers. And I love honey too. 
I don´t have to do a research for this one, everybody is already familiar with nuts, berries and cinnamon.
Issued 13.06.2013

Children Games 1960

For today's theme at Viridian´s Sunday Stamps I have chosen some old stamps from Romania.
They represent quite nicely the way children used to play in small villages: skating on frozen lakes, swimming in summer, playing rounders or sleighing.
I find this set a nice one, especially these days when children don´t play that much anymore outside, it´s good to remind their parents that there are much healthier ways to spend the day than watching TV or playing games on computer. It´s up to each of us to teach them something from our childhood.
So here are the stamps:

They are not that accurate as today´s stamps, but let´s don´t forget they were printed in 15 Oktober 1960 :)

What did you used to play as a child?

WOMEN AND INVENTICS

On the occasion of celebrating the World Intellectual Property Dayon the 26th of April, Romfilatelia introduces into circulation a postage stamps issue dedicated to this event.

Established in 1967, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), one of the 15 specialised agencies of the United Nations (UN), has as main responsibilities to develop a world wide intellectual property system able to reward creativity, to boost innovation and to contribute to the economic development.

Conveying a special approach to this theme, Romfilatelia illustrates three female personalities and their inventions on the postage stamps, under the name Women and Inventics.

Stefania Maracineanu (1882-1944), famous in the scientific world as the physicist who discover artificial radioactivity in 1924 is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of Lei 1.00. Just found a book about her in Google. Take a look.

Josephine Cochrane (1839-1913), born in the USA - State of Illinois, and illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of Lei 3.30, was the inventor of the dish-washing machine. More about her here.

The postage stamp with the face value of Lei 9.10 illustrates Grace Murray Hopper (1906-1992), pioneer in the field of informatics, who developed the first compiler for a computer programming language and created one of the first modern computer programming languages - COBOL. Read about her.

Great Women, great inventions.

Crowns of the Kings of Romania

The postage stamps issue “Crowns of the Kings of Romania” reminds to former generations and presents to new ones the symbols of the Romanian royalty on the background of the great events in the history of our people which marked the State Independence and recognition of Romania as a sovereign country and a fundamental piece of the state structure that has still been forming the European community.

We can see on these stamps the Steel Crown of King Carol I, symbol of Independece:

The Crown of Queen Elisabeta 

and the Crown of Queen Maria. 

See specific details about these here.

Title: Crowns of the Kings of Romania
Date of Issue: 28 February 2013
Country: Romania
Denominations: 3L30, 4L30, 14L50
Source: http://www.romfilatelia.ro

Love stamps for Valentine´s day

Today´s theme proposed by Viridian is LOVE stamps. I had to search a little bit, but I found these ones:

Slovenia (28.01.2011) - Love entry in a Journal

Slovenia (30.01.2009) - Kiss

Finland (1999) - Valentine (it´s a set of 2 values, I only have one of them)

Romania (2002) - Valentine´s day (2 stamps, only one I have)

 I think the Finland stamps are the most unusual illustration for Love. What do you think?

Flora of Romania (II)

The postage stamps issue “Flora of Romania II” completes the project achieved by Romfilatelia on an innovative illustrative thematic. The originality of this project consists in joining the image of the flower with the one of the being, from whose appearance the plant receives its popular name.

The eye of a snake

The Alpine Forget-me-not (Eritrichium nanum (L.) Schrad. ex Gaudin Boraginaceae family) is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 0.50 lei. It is a herbaceous plant with small leaves up to 4.5 mm wide, covered with silky white hairs. Its flowers are blue, rarely white, and have a pleasant smell.

Turkey´s bow

The Love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus caudatus L. – Amaranthaceae family), an annual plant that can reach a height of 2 m is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 0.60 lei. The plant blossoms from July to October. At the beginning, its inflorescences are long and thin and, as the summer passes, they become thick and red. The species originates in South America and, inRomania it is cultivated for ornamental purposes.

the lamb´s tongue

The Starflower (Borago officinalis L. – Boraginaceae family), an annual plant having a high, thick, arborescent stalk, covered by hairs, is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 1.60 lei. It can reach heights of 30-60 cm. Its leaves have round or little denticulate edges. First, the corolla is star-shaped red, then turning blue. The starflower is a melliferous plant, originating from the Mediterranean area, cultivated and turned wild inRomania. The plant is used in human and veterinary medicine.

Crab´s tail

The Silverweed (Potentilla anserina L. – Rosaceae family), a herbaceous plant, 15-50 cm high, is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 2.00 lei. Its flowers are yellow. It can be found in plain areas and at altitudes up to 1,300-1,500 m, in moist, often ruderalised meadows, but also on the banks of lakes and rivers. It blossoms from May through August. The plant is used in human and veterinary medicine.

Title: Flora of Romania (II)
Date of Issue: 19 January 2012
Country: Romania
Denominations: 50B, 60B, 1L60, 2L
Source: http://www.romfilatelia.ro

Flora of Romania (I)

Flora, a subject highly appreciated by the philately lovers, is approached by Romfilatelia in the postage stamps issue Flora of Romania (I), released in a new illustrative manner, joining the image of the flower and the name of the beings from which their popular name derives.

"the bear´s honey"

The Common Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis L. – Boraginaceae family) is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 1.00 lei. It is a perennial plant, spread in our country in deciduous forests, in grasslands and at the border sides of the forests. The strain is 10-30 cm high and the middle stalk leaves are oval-elongated through elliptical. First, the flowers are red and then turn into purple-bluish. The plant blossoms in March through May.

"the rooster´s foot"

The Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens L. – Ranunculaceae family), a perennial plant, very common in the moist areas of mountain meadows and in the marshy areas or on the river banks, is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 1.20 lei. Its root is ramified and thick and it looks like a cock spur. The plant is 30-60 cm high and blossoms in May through August and its flowers are yellow. It is also known as a“curing flower”, being used in human and veterinary medicine.

"Lion´s mouth"

The Common Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus L. – Scrophulariaceae family), a plant with flowers in different colours (white, pink, yellow, orange, red or purple), is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 3.30 lei. The name of this perennial plant derives from the resemblance of the flower with a dragon muzzle, which snaps open when pressing on its sides. It originates from the Mediterranean area and blossoms in June through August. The species is cultivated in Romania.

"rabbit´s watercress"

The Common Wood-Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella L. – Oxalidaceae family) is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 3.60 lei. The plant covers the ground in deciduous and coniferous forests, as a light green carpet islanded with white flowers. This plant has curative capacities and is used in the pharmaceutical field (to stimulate digestion and to refortify the body).

"ox-eye"

The China Aster (Callistephus chinensis (L.) Nees – Asteraceae family) is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 4.70 lei. The name of the plant derives from the Greek words “kalós” (beautiful) and “stéphos” (crown). It originates from Eastern India,China and Japan and is very popular inRomania, being cultivated for ornamental purposes.

"swallow´s dress"

The Field Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis L. – Convolvulaceae family), a cosmopolite plant, is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 7.60 lei. Whether climbing or creeping, its length can reach up to two meters. The leaves have a petiole and the lamina is cordate or hastate. The trumpet-shaped flowers have a 1-2.5 cm diameter and are white or light pink.

Since there is no possibility of ordering stamps directly from Romfilatelia, for those who are living outside Romania, if there is anybody interested in these stamps please let me know. I can help you in getting them at face value + postal charges.

Title: Flora of Romania (I)
Date of Issue: 17 January 2012
Country: Romania
Denominations: 1L, 1,20L, 3,30L, 3,60L, 4,70L , 7,60L
Source: http://www.romfilatelia.ro

Romania - Russia Joint Issue: Churches

After the proclamation of the Independence of Romania on May 9, 1877 and following its official recognition as one of the important powers of the time – events that propelled the Romanian nation among the modern European nations – on October 15, 1878 were established diplomatic relations with Russia. Occasioned by the celebration of 130 years since the enforcement of the diplomatic relations between Romania and the Russian Federation, Romfilatelia released a joint stamp issue in 2008, illustrating monuments included in the UNESCO’s world heritage list.

This sheet I have bought myself some time ago, and recently I have received it´s pair, thanks to Irina.

The stamp with the face value of RON 3.00 presents the image of the Sf. Gheorghe church of the Voronet Monastery.
Built in only 4 and a half months, starting from the spring to the autumn of 1488, the Sf. Gheorghe church of the Voronet Monastery is one of the most valuable establishments built by Stefan cel Mare.The architecture of the monument is a twinship of aboriginal, Gothic, and Byzantine elements. In 1547, the exterior of the church was painted under the close supervision of the Metropolitan Bishop Grigorie Rosca. Grace to the great fresco adornishing the Western façade (Final Judgment), the Voronet Monastery is considered to be the „Sixtin Chapel of the Orient“ whereas the „Voronet Blue“ knows no counterpart anywhere in the world.

See more pictures about it here.

The stamp with the face value of RON 4.30 shows the Sf. Demetrius Cathedral in Vladimir.
Rightfully considered as one of the splendors of the city of Vladimir, the Sf. Dimitrie church was built by Prince Vsevolod III.
The exotic ornaments, the bas reliefs representing lions, centaurs, and white leopards cover the white walls of the church. The sculpted interior decorations cover biblical themes and equally Greek mythology. The central part of the church façade envisages the repeated image of King David associated, during the Middle Ages, with the celebration of beauty and harmony of the world.
More information and pictures here.

Title: Romania-Russia Joint issue: UNESCO Churches
Date of Issue: 23 June 2008

Country: Romania and Russia
Source: http://www.romfilatelia.ro
Denominations: 3, 4L30 and 6x12p sheets

TO BEE OR NOT TO BEE

 This post is for Viridian´s Sunday Stamps, Theme: anything you want.

"If bees disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left.” (Albert Einstein)

I thought of writing about these stamps because of my son. He is almost 2 years old, and one of the other days he was looking so fascinated at these small creatures that I was really impressed and looked myself a bit closer. Since immemorial times, bees behaviour has inspired myths, legends, tales, poems and fables. At the same time the bee inspired love and was loved by both gods and human beings.

Bees have a vital role in the pollination (reproduction) of ­thousands of plants species. For 50 million years since they are present on the Earth, bees have contributed to the evolution of the vegetal kingdom, as it exists today.

minisheet of 4 stamps with illustrated attachment and gold foiling

Coming to all philatelists needs, Romfilatelia introduced into circulation the postage stamps issue “Honey Bees” in January 2010.

The European honey bee (Apis mellifera mellifera) is shown on the stamp having a face value of ­RON 0.50. This is a bee with a special resistance to winter’s cold and an increased tendency of defense against enemies. It collects a large volume of pollen and lives longer than other bees. It also has the capacity to fly long distances. This bee lives in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, the Great Britain, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, North of Switzerland, North-West of Austria, Belarus, North of Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Russia.

The Italian honey bee (Apis mellifera ligustica) is shown on the stamp having a face value of RON 2.10. This bee spreads through North America, South America and Southern Europe. It is mild and ­produces honey in considerable amounts. It lives in large colonies needing more food resources to survive the winter.

The Slovenian honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica) is shown on the stamp having a face value of RON 3.10. It is a sub-species of the European honey bee ­originating from Slovenia but it may be found in Austria, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Romania.

The Caucasian honey bee (Apis mellifera caucasica) is shown on the stamp having a face value of RON 4.30. It is a larger bee than the average; it is mild and hard working. It is usually found in the Caucasus Mountains. 

Title: Honey bees

Date of Issue: 22 January 2010

Country: Romania

Source: http://www.romfilatelia.ro
Denominations: 50b, 2L10, 3L10, 4L30

BUTTERFLIES ROMANIA 2011

This week I saw Vivian´s blog and I thought it is a good idea to join the Sunday Stamps issue. So I have chosen to talk about butterflies. They are not really part of my favorite stamp themes, and at first I bought them for a friend, but I find them lovely. So here they are, flying around in my album:

The butterflies, which are members of the Order Lepidoptera, are the lively colored insects with membranous wings covered with microscopic scales. From a larva or a caterpillar stage they turn into nymphs or pupas and then into a beautiful colorful butterfly. Their life span differs from one species to another; they may live a month or a couple of months, a few hours or even a year. Depending their feeding time, they are both diurnal and nocturnal and they differ by their way of living and also by their appearance.
There are so many things there to write about, I try to focus on description and interesting facts (in italic).

The postage stamps issue which Romfilatelia introduced into circulation this year (2011), illustrates the following species: the Old World Swallowtail, the Scarce Swallowtail, the Mountain Apollo, the Peacock Butterfly, the Atlas Moth, the Morpho Butterfly and the Glasswing Butterfly. 

 
The Mountain Apollo (Parnassius apollo) is illustrated on the postage stamp with face value of lei 0.50. It is a very beautiful species of butterfly that were once widespread all over the European and Asian meadows. Unfortunately, nowadays they’re almost extinct and very rarely seen. They inhabit territories in meadows and mountains up to 2200 metres above sea level, ranging from Europe to Central Russia. The various species of butterflies differ in their colouration and the size of the dots on their wings. Apollo’s five to eight centimeter long wings are creamy, with black and red or yellow spots. These colourful spots are intended to confuse predators, mostly birds, because the red or yellow dots hold a similarity to a mammal’s eyes, thus saving the butterfly from certain death. The small head holds a pair of eyes, as well as two long tentacles that act as smell and taste sensors. The butterfly’s chest and stomach are covered with small, white hairs. Pictures here.



The Glasswing Butterfly (Greta oto) is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of lei 0.60. It was named this way by the first entomologists who described it in honor of the great Swedish-born American actress, Greta Garbo.  
The butterfly has transparent wings, the fine veins on its wings making it look like colored glass. It can be found in the area between Mexico and the other Central America states.  Glasswing butterflies lay their eggs on a toxic group of plants in the Cestrum genus, or nightshade family, which provide the eggs and larvae with alkaloids that ward away predators, due to the bad taste.

The Morpho Butterfly (Morpho nestira) is illustrated on the postage stamp with face value of lei 2.40. It is a large butterfly, its wingspan being of about 180 mm. The adults feed during the day on the juice of plants and fruits, while the larvae feed on plants and only during night time. It can be found mainly in Central and Southern America.  the entire blue morpho life cycle lasts only 115 days.

The Old World Swallowtail (Papilio machaon) is illustrated on the postage stamp with face value of lei 3.00. Its wingspan is of 70-90 mm. It can be found over a large area from Western Europe to Japan.  

The Atlas Moth (Attacus atlas) is illustrated on the postage stamp with face value of lei 4.50. It is considered to be the largest butterfly of the Saturnidae Family, having a wingspan of 270-280 mm. It can be found in Southern Asia and Isles of Indonesia.  Atlas moths are predominantly tawny to maroon in colour with roughly triangular, diaphanous "eyes" on both forewing and hindwing, bordered in black. The purpose of these dramatic, gossamer portals is not clear, but they are thought to play a role in predator avoidance. Their bodies are hairy and disproportionately small compared to their wings. Neither sex possess fully formed mouthparts and therefore do not feed; throughout their 1–2-week adult life they survive entirely on larval fat reserves that they build up while they are caterpillars

The Peacock Butterfly (Inachis io) is illustrated on the postage stamp with face value of lei 5.00 and is part of the Nymphalidae Family. It is a large, diurnal butterfly which has a “peacock eye” pattern on both wings. The specialists consider it to be the most beautiful butterfly in Romania. I have seen myself many of these in childhood. The butterfly has cryptic undersides with flashy eye-spots above and can also make an audible sound by rubbing its wings together, presumably as anti-predator measures

Title: BUTTERFLIESThe Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius) is illustrated on the postage stamp of the perforated souvenir sheet with the face value of lei 8.10. Its wingspan is of 70-90 mm. The larvae of this butterfly live on fruit trees. More pictures here. 

I don´t have the FDC, but they look interesting too:








Following the link below you will find more posts about Summer on stamps, and maybe more butterflies :)

Date of Issue: 12 April 2011

Country: Romania

Denominations: 0,5L, 0,6L, 2,4L, 3L, 4,5L, 5L and SS 8,1L

Source: www.romfilatelia.ro

PARROTS ROMANIA 2011

Romfilatelia introduces into circulation the postage stamps issue "Parrots" representing the following species: the Illiger’s Macaw, the Scarlet Macaw, the Yellow-collared Macaw, the Eastern Rosella, the Budgerigar and the Cockatiel.

Parrots are birds making part from the Psittaciformes Order and they belong to the Psittacidae Family. We recognize them after their curved beak. They are found in the entire Southern hemisphere of the Earth, from Australia to India, from Southeastern Asia up to Western Africa, but also in Southern and Central America.
Many parrots’ species can imitate the human conversation and different sounds.

The Illiger’s Macaw (Ara illiger) is illustrated on the stamp with the face value of 1.60 lei. It may be encountered in the Central and Eastern part of South America. The length of its head and tail reaches 46 cm. It has a big head, a strong beak and a long tail. The body plumage is green, the head plumage is blue and the abdomen is pink-reddish. Its face is white, the beak is black and its iris is orange. The feathers on the wings edges are bluish-blackish. It is extremely intelligent and easily tamed. It is not very noisy, but it is very sociable and talkative. It is a rare species.

The Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) is illustrated on the stamp with the face value of 2.10 lei. It may be found in Southern Mexico, up to Brazil and Peru. The body length is 85-95 cm, of which half is tail’s length; it weighs about 1 kg. It has a strong beak. Its plumage is mostly scarlet and the sides of its back and its tail are blue. The upper sides of the wings are yellow, with blue flight feathers, as well as the tail. The undersides of the wings and tail are blue with metallic gold iridescence. Some individuals also have green feathers.

The Yellow-collared Macaw (Primolius auricollis) is illustrated on the stamp with the face value of 2.40 lei. It is found in Northern Argentina, in Brazil up to Eastern Bolivia.

Its length is up to 40 cm, of which the tail represents 59%. It has a green plumage with a yellow collar that is wider on the back part of the neck. The head color is blackish-brown. The feathers on the wings edges are blue and those from the tail are red at their basis, green in the middle and blue at the extremity. The ventral part of the tail is green-yellowish. Its legs are pink and its iris is reddish-yellowish. It has got a black beak sometimes with a grey end. It is an affectionate, clever and ingenious parrot.

The Eastern Rosella (Platycercus eximius) is illustrated on the stamp with the face value of 4.70 lei. Native to Southeastern Australia, it lives both in the wooded pre-mountainous areas and in savannas. The wings, as well the body, are 16 cm long. Its fan-like feathers are blue and the ones on its back are black with a yellow-greenish contour.

The Budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) is illustrated on the stamp with the face value of 5.00 lei. This parrot is native to Australia and it was brought on the old continent several hundred years later than any other parrot species. Their “song” goes from the slow chirp to the high-pitched alarm shout that may be heard from more than 500 m.

The Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus) is illustrated on the stamp of the souvenir sheet with the face value of 9.10 lei. It is native to Australia. After 1850, the Europeans started to colonize Australia and immediately afterwards these parrots were brought to Europe. It measures about 40 cm. They are some of Australia’s fastest birds.

Title: PARROTS
Date of Issue: 24 February 2011
Country: Romania
Denominations: 1L60, 2L10, 2L40, 4L70, 5L and 9L10
Source: http://www.romfilatelia.ro

Price: set of 5 stamps + MS = 8,30 euro

PAINTINGS - NATIONAL BANK ROMANIA 2011

The keeper of an important part of the Romanian treasure - ingots, coins and gold objects - the National Bank of Romania also possesses masterpieces of the Romanian painting.  This set of stamps “Art reproductions - Paintings belonging to the National Bank of Romania Treasure” represent four paintings belonging to Nicolae Grigorescu, Eugeniu Voinescu and George Demetrescu Mirea, exhibited in the Council Chamber of the Bank. 

Nicolae Grigorescu (1838-1907) is considered to be the great master of the Romanian painting who illustrated in his works the symbiosis between the Realism of the Barbizon School, the Impressionism and the Symbolism.

On the postage stamp with the face value of RON 3.00 is illustrated the master’s painting entitled Rodica. Painted in 1894, the composition presents a hot summer season landscape when people harvest the wheat. The main female character, who may be seen in the foreground of the painting, is a woman carrying a water vessel.

On the postage stamp with the face value of RON 2.10 is illustrated the painting called Marine made by Eugeniu Voinescu (1842-1909). The painter studied literature and law in Cairo and Paris where he made friends with the Russian painter I.K. Aivazovski, a master of the marine landscape. As a painter of marine themes, Voinescu was the most famous Romanian painter of his time.

We must mention that Grigorescu’s Rodica and Voinescu’s Marine are the most remarkable examples of monumental painting in Bucharest besides the mural paintings of the Romanian Athenaeum.

On the postage stamps with the face value of RON 1.40  and RON 7.60 are illustrated the allegoric compositions Mercury and Prometheus made by George Demetrescu Mirea (1852-1934). The painter studied at the Belle Arte School in Bucharest with Theodor Aman. Among the important works of the painter G.D. Mirea we can mention the mural decorations from the National Bank of Romania and the Writers’ House in Bucharest, as well as those from the University of Iasi.

Title: PAINTINGS - NATIONAL BANK ROMANIA
Date of Issue: 28 January 2011
Country: Romania
Denominations: 1L40, 2L10, 3L, 7L60
Source: http://www.romfilatelia.ro

Price: 4,5 euro

REPTILES ROMANIA 2011

Joining the UN and UNESCO Programs and Projects and also many global organisations from which the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) stands out, Romfilatelia continues its mission to foster love and care for the environment.

The first postage stamps issue which Romfilatelia introduced into circulation in 2011, “Reptiles of Romania”, is related to the environmental protection and to the biodiversity preservation. 

The stamps illustrate the following reptile species belonging to the Romanian fauna: the Aesculapian snake, the Balkan wall lizard, the horned viper and the Moldavian meadow viper.

The Aesculapian snake (Zamenis longissimus) illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of RON 0.60, has a slender body, with a small and narrow head. The tail is long and thin and the length of this snake is 1.50-2 m.  It can be found in the Southern and Central Europe, in Asia Minor and in Northern Iran.

The Balkan wall lizard (Podarcis taurica) is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of RON 2.40. It is small, the head, together with the body has a length of the 77 mm (male) or 66 mm (female). Its body is slightly flattened, has a small head and the tail is 1.5 times longer than the body and is very thin towards the end. The colour is dark brown, sometimes olive brown or greenish on the back side and white, with reddish reflexes on the abdomen. It lives in sandy areas, on sand dunes and in rocky places. It feeds on larvae and adult insects, spiders and other arthropods. It can be found in the Southern Crimea, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, in the North-East of Greece and in the European part of Turkey.

The horned viper (Vipera ammodytes ammodytes) shown on the postage stamp with the face value of RON 3.00, lengths range between 80 and 95 cm. One main feature of this species is the horn on the top of the snout, consisting of 2-4 scales and the dark zigzag on the back. The venom is very toxic. It prefers the sunny areas, with scarce vegetation. It feeds on small rodents and lizards. Usually, it can be found in Eastern Europe where, like in Romania, it has been a protected species since 2001.

The Moldavian meadow viper (Vipera ursinii moldavica) illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of RON 9.10, has an approximate length of 65 cm and is less poisonous. Generally, its colour is grey and the zigzag pattern on the back is dark brown. It can be found in Delta area, in sandy and arid places and also in the Iasi County. The viper from this area is considered a distinct subspecies. It is protected throughout the European Union.

Title: REPTILES
Date of Issue: 19 January 2011
Country: Romania
Denominations: 60 Bani, 2L40, 3L, 9L10
Source: http://www.romfilatelia.ro

Price: 4,60 euro