2019-09-06 Fri

On 17th September, the USPS is going to release a set of 4 non-denominated forever stamps featuring Winter Berries. They will be available in a double-sided pane of 20 (booklet). The launch event will be held at the Tulsa Botanic Garden’s A.R. and Marylouise Tandy Floral Terraces in Tulsa, Okla. The digital artwork was created by Steve Buchanan and USPS art director Antonio Alcala. Buchanan is highly regarded for his paintings portraying botanical and entomological subjects. He has designed several other postage stamps for USPS. Ashton Potter Printer has produced 300 million stamps in 15 million panes by offset lithography. 2 sets of 4 first-day covers will be sold. The black postmark depicts a sprig of berries designed like a line drawing. The coloured postmark features the text “WINTER BERRIES” which also contains berries and branches.

The four stamps depict four different berries namely, the winterberry, juniper berry, beautyberry and soapberry. All these berries grow in different parts of North America. The botanical portraits try to depict the bright colours and textures of their berries.

Winterberries are found in numerous sizes, shapes and colours during the winter season, mainly in the eastern United States. The red fruit of winterberry is consumed by small mammals and over 48 species of birds. Their shrubs may grow up to a height between 5 feet and 15 feet, and their bark is generally grey or black.

Juniper is a coniferous plant which is commonly found everywhere. Its berries are the plant’s female seed cones. They are used to add flavours to certain foods and beverages. Pregnant women and people with medical conditions should avoid eating these berries.

Beautyberries are found in the southern states of Texas to Maryland. Their shrubs can grow up to a height of 8 feet. Songbirds and other animals love their taste. They are also used to prepare wine and preserves. Soapberries are found on30-feet flowering deciduous trees from southern states of the US. It contains saponins which produce foam when mixed with water. It’s used for cleaning objects because of these unique characteristics.

Image Courtesy: The USPS