Åland Post continues the its popular series of stamps illustrating the Chinese zodiac signs. This year’s issue consisting of two item features the cute mice that is the sixth zodiac animal that appeared on Åland’s stamp. The artist Martin Mörck has created an illustration of Åland mice that is straight out of a fairy tale. The cute mice wallow in the vegetation, contently snacking on blackberries.
The Rat is the first sign from the 12 animals cycle of the Chinese Zodiac, and for this reason, this time period is considered a year of new beginnings and renewals.
The species yellow-necked mouse and harvest mouse were used as base for the mice illustrations. Easily recognizable is the harvest mouse’s round breeding nest that resembles a bird’s nest. The existence of the harvest mouse in Åland was discovered as recently as in 2015, when a dead young mouse was found on the beach of the archipelago island of Enklinge in Kumlinge. The yellow-necked mouse is the most common mouse in Åland.
See also other beautiful Lunar New Year stamps.
