Regina 
In a nod to the natural beauty and ecological significance of native Canadian flora, Canada Post has launched a stamp series celebrating two pivotal wildflower species: the butterfly milkweed and spotted beebalm.
CNW Group/Canada Post
The stamp collection, designed by Andrew Perro and featuring illustrations by Alain Massicotte, aims to showcase the beauty of these blooms.
These plants are not only aesthetically pleasing but serve as critical food and shelter sources for various pollinators, including bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. The survival of these pollinators is essential for the fertilization of many plants, impacting everything from fruit trees to agricultural crops.
The butterfly milkweed and spotted beebalm, both of which can reach heights of up to a meter, are perennial herbs that play unique roles in their ecosystems. Monarch butterfly caterpillars rely exclusively on the milkweed for food, a critical factor given the threats of deforestation, climate change, and habitat loss affecting these pollinators. Spotted beebalm, with its fragrant and visually distinctive flowers, adds to the biodiversity necessary for a healthy environment.
These wildflowers are indigenous to specific areas in southern Ontario and southwestern Quebec, where they are protected by law due to their threatened status.
The new stamps are available in various formats, including booklets and souvenir sheets, the stamps were first issued in Essex, Ontario, a crucial habitat for the monarch butterflies and native milkweed.
For Collectors:
Credit: Canada Post
The stamps are available in booklets of 10, coils of 50, collectible coil strips of 4 and 10 stamps, as well as in a souvenir sheet of 2 stamps.
- Wildflowers souvenir sheet of 2 Permanent stamps — $1.84
- Wildflowers Official First Day Cover — $2.84
- Wildflowers booklet of 10 Permanent stamps — $9.20
- Wildflowers coil of 50 Permanent stamps — $46.00
