PINE MOUNTAIN, GA — Butterfly gardening plays a vital role in preserving populations of these beautiful pollinators. Recognizing the importance of these beautiful creatures in biosystems great and small, the U.S. Postal Service has issued two new nondenominated stamps intended for bulk mailings by authorized nonprofit organizations.

The Butterfly Garden Flowers stamps will be issued in coils of 3,000 and 10,000. Each coil includes two designs, illustrations of either cosmos or scabiosas, two flowers that butterflies love to visit.

Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamps with original art by Rigel Stuhmiller.

Stuhmiller used a combination of traditional and digital tools to create the art. After hand-carving the images into linoleum blocks, she inked the blocks and pressed them onto paper. The artist then scanned the images into the computer and added color digitally. As in most traditional block printing, the color palette is limited. 

With recent interest in supporting pollinators, butterfly gardening as a hobby has taken off. The requirements for a successful butterfly garden are few: plenty of sun, the right kinds of plants and no pesticides. The garden can be as small as a few containers on a sunny patio or as large as acres of land in the country or in a city park.

Scabiosas are called pincushion flowers because they resemble a pincushion loaded with needles. Cosmos, also known as the Mexican aster, grow on a sprawling plant that produces a profusion of blossoms. Adding these two plants to a well-planned garden with lots of color from native plants will provide a beautiful haven for butterflies and gardeners alike.