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Tuesday, April 12, 2011

DRAGONFLIES IN THEMATIC PHILATELY

- © Dr. Avinash B.Jagtap, Binningen (Switzerland)
The aim of this article is to inform and guide thematic collectors about a theme which can be developed to form a sizable thematic display suitable for “One Frame Display” or to build a wider part of an extensive collection of stamps depicting insects. The theme chosen is “Dragonfly”. Dragonfly belongs to the order Anisoptera in animal kingdom. Anisoptera is a Greek word, where “an” means “not”, “iso” is for“equal” and “ptera” signifies “wings”, in short, these are the insects with unequal wings. The hind wings of a dragonfly are broader than the fore wings.They have enormous head, which is almost occupied by large eyes with 10’000 to28’000 facets. Head is movable in forward and backward as well as in side ways at 180 degrees. The “eye” of a dragonfly is gifted with the perception ability to see 175 images separated from one another in a second, whereas the human eye can see only 20 images per second! Dragonflies are capable of viewing even int he dark. Insects came into existence before man and dragonfly is one of the most ancient insects ever to survive till this day! It has been found after the study of fossils that the ancestors of present day dragonflies existed 250 million years ago, during the bituminous coal period.
Read full story in Issue No.53 of "ITS Stamp News"

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