World Insects (and other Arthropods) Postcard List

Inspired by @Florallle 's World Birds’ Postcard List, I wanted to create a place for us to share some more creatures who really delight us: ants, bees, beetles, butterflies, cicadas, crickets, dragonflies, damselflies, grasshoppers, katydids, leaf bugs, mantids, moths, and more! Insects are our tiny, delicate partners helping to make so much of our world possible, and they need our support now more than ever.

So let’s share the postcards we have sent and received with insects. If you know anything about the insect, please tell us!

I can start it off with this postcard I received from Japan today:

Illustrated card showing on the left Prosopocoilus inclinatus, the Japanese stag beetle or Kawagatamushi, found in Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, Sado Island, Tsushima, Yaku Island, and the Korean peninsula. On the right is the Japanese rhinoceros beetle, kabutomushi カブトムシ. Mushi is Japanese for insect, and kabuto is Japanese for helmet, literally referring to the samurai helmet.

Update: Welcome to add other Arthropods including crabs, crustaceans, spiders, scorpions, centipedes, horseshoe crabs and others! :crab: :lobster: :spider: :scorpion: :tada:

18 Likes

I wish I received more insects (and other arthropods) in my mailbox, I love them. In the past year I have received only this beetle, Calosoma sycophanta, great card!

11 Likes

You make a great point, @-Hector- ! Other arthropods should certainly be welcomed in this list. They also need our affection!

Welcome to add other Arthropods including crabs, crustaceans, spiders, scorpions, centipedes, horseshoe crabs and others! :crab: :lobster: :spider: :scorpion: :tada:

Here’s a European Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus) who I had on my Favorites wish list for a long time. It was actually the first card I ever favorited from Lithuania. So I was incredibly delighted when I received it on 31 July from the person who took the photo!

7 Likes

I don’t have many, but I did send this

And this:

And there’s more!

9 Likes

Here I don’t have a album, what a pity. But some I received. Will edit at my computer later. To complicated with the phone

2 Likes

What a great idea this thread is, @adriennefriend
Here are some insect-postcards that I’ve received so far.

and some I have sent

I also received these amazing stamps which were sadly destroyed by USPS

10 Likes

What gorgeous cards and stamps! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

I’m in love with coconut crabs/Birgus latro :crab: :star_struck:

1 Like

That’s really a great idea! Thank you for opening this one and give the insects and … well the arachnids some spotlight. :smiling_face:

Personally I think they would deserve their own space, as there are so many different insects already without them and crabs, scorpions etc. really differ from insects in size and visual alone, but of course I don’t mind them here. :slight_smile:

1 Like

I understand where you are coming from @P05tkatze ! Thank you for your support! Originally this was just “World Insects Postcard List” but after reading a comment from a member above, I added Arthropods, because insects are arthropods, and I want Postcrossers to be able to share more variety. You’re right that arthropods are vast and diverse. I hope we’ll see lots of different cards here!

1 Like

Butterflies:

8 Likes

So far I haven’t received any insects nor arachnids.

I’ve sent:
a dragonfly (I guess)

a honey bee

and a small tortoiseshell (Kleiner Fuchs - “small fox” in German)

The last card is a photo taken by myself. I sometimes love to “hunt” butterflies with a smartphone and try out how close I can get - and as they cannot detect small movements easily (like flies) you can get very close. I don’t know much about small tortoiseshells except that they eat stinging nettles as caterpillars.

4 Likes

I hope we get so many and so much variety, that they do get their own space some time :wink:

1 Like

Now that is a lovely wish! :heart: :heart: :heart:

1 Like

Dear @TanjaK93 , thank you so much for sharing your insects (and other arthropods) stamps! I would absolutely love to see more stamps on this thread, too!

Here are some of the stamps I have sent on Official cards:











A few more…



I feel happy when I draw a profile and the Postcrosser mentions liking insects and spiders. :heart:

8 Likes
5 Likes

I have officially sent these cards:

5 Likes

Hi @adriennefriend thanks for letting me know about your initiative, which is amazing by the way.

Here are my insect cards

I love to see more of the insects & anthropods!

3 Likes

here is what insects and spiders I received

Listspinne ~ raft spider [Dolomedes fimbriatus]

Not sure about this but I think it is a Malaysian moon moth (Actias maenas)

C-Falter - (Polygonia c-album)

Mooshummel - large carder bee (Bombus muscorum) not sure about the other one on the card but maybe a kind of Halictus scabiosae

some caterpillar just before getting eaten ^^

Hirschkäfer - European stag beetle (Lucanus cervus)

on the flower is sitting a bee

not entirely sure -but I guess a Hufeisen-Azurjungfer - Azure damselfly (Coenagrion puella)

counts this cutie too :heart::heart::heart:

will it get eaten?


these I sent

Hufeisen-Azurjungfer - Azure damselfly (Coenagrion puella)

Marienkäfer - ladybird beetle (Coccinellidae)

Tagpfauenauge - European peacock ( Aglais io)

Honigbine - European honey bee (Apis mellifera)

Mistkäfer - dungbeetle (Geotrupidae)

Schachbrett oder Damebrett - marbled white (Melanargia galathea)

Europäische Gottesanbeterin - European mantis (Mantis religiosa)

6 Likes

I received this beautiful card in a RR from Israel
Javanese Leaf insect (Phyllium bioculatum), Leafcutter ant (atta cephalotes), Congo rose chafer (Pachnoda marginata), Australian walking stick (Extatosama tiaratum), Blue-winged grashopper (Tropidacris collaris)

and some more stamps
stamp_insects1


8 Likes

5 Likes