1257, 1258 NETHERLANDS (Aruba) - Divi-Divi Trees on Eagle Beach

1257 Divi-Divi Trees on Eagle Beach (1)

Mostly flat, with only a few hills, and without inland water, Aruba isn't the stereotypical tropical island of lush, steamy forests and constant rains. Its best-known geographical feature is its white-sand beaches, which are the basis of an active tourism industry. One of these beaches, considered by many one of the best beaches in the world is Eagle Beach, known also as home of two of the most photographed and renowned divi-divi trees in Aruba, with its trademark silhouette pointing in the direction of the Caribbean.

1258 Divi-Divi Trees on Eagle Beach (2)

The Divi-Divi Tree (Caesalpinia coriaria), called Watapana in the Arawak language, is an endemic bush in the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao), which rarely reaches a height of 9 m, and is permanently bent, at nearly a right angle, with Medusa-like branches seemingly swept back by the wind. It is Aruba's natural compass, always pointing in a southwesterly direction due to the trade winds that blow across the island from the north-east. All attempts to plant this tree in other parts of the world have proved futile. That is why divi-divi is the national tree of Curaçao, and is also very common and popular on Aruba.

About the stamps

The stamps are part of a definitive series, issued in 2009 and depicting Alto Vista Chapel, which contains the following face values:
0,05 AWG
0,10 AWG
0,25 AWG
0,50 AWG - it's on other postcard
0,85 AWG - it's on other postcard
0,90 AWG - it's on other postcard
1,00 AWG - it's on other postcard
1,25 AWG
1,30 AWG - it's on the postcard
1,35 AWG - it's on other postcard
1,40 AWG - it's on the postcard
2,00 AWG
2,15 AWG
2,20 AWG

This is a post for Sunday Stamps #189, run by Viridian from Viridian’s Postcard Blog. The theme of this week is: anything you wish. Click on the button to visit Viridian’s blog and all the other participants.

References
Caesalpinia coriaria - Wikipedia
Eagle Beach - aruba.com
Flora and Fauna - Aruba Travel Guide

Sender 1, 2: Denise
1: Sent from Oranjestad (Aruba), on 06.07.2014
Photo: Werner J. Bertsch / 2010
2: Sent from Oranjestad (Aruba), on 09.07.2014
Photo: Andrea Piazzi / 2007