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# 5443 - 2020 First-Class Forever Stamp - Wild Orchids (coil): Platanthera leucophaea
US #5443
2020 Platanthera Leucophaea – Wild Orchids
- Pictures the eastern prairie fringed orchid
- Part of the Wild Orchids set picturing nine orchid species native to the United States (one species shown twice)
Stamp Category: Definitive
Set: Wild Orchids
Value: 55¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: February 21, 2020
First Day City: Coral Gables, Florida
Quantity Issued: 15,000,000 OR 50,000,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Coils of 3,000 OR Coils of 10,000
Perforations: Serpentine die cut 10 ¾ vertically
Tagging: Nonphosphored type III
Why the stamp was issued: To showcase the beauty and diversity of different species of wild orchids.
About the stamp design: Pictures a photograph by Jim Fowler of the eastern prairie fringed orchid, a species that grows wild in the United States.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held in Coral Gables, Florida, home to the headquarters of the American Orchid Society.
About the Wild Orchids set: Includes 10 stamps picturing photographs by Jim Fowler of nine different orchids (one species shown twice) native to the United States. Species include: the three birds (pictured twice), California lady’s slipper, crested coralroot, showy lady’s slipper, marsh lady’s tresses, eastern prairie fringed, greater purple fringed, grass pink, and yellow cowhorn orchids. These are all beautiful wildflowers that most people don’t get the opportunity to see. They’re all hard to find today.
History the stamp represents: Many wild orchids native to the United States are federally listed endangered species. One especially threatened species is Platanthera leucophaea – the “eastern prairie fringed” orchid.
Platanthera leucophaea is a large, showy orchid with up to 40 small, white flowers. It grows up to three feet tall and is found in wet tallgrass prairies, meadows, and old fields. Most eastern prairie fringed orchids are found in the Great Lakes Region, though small groups have been seen in parts of Maine, Virginia, Iowa, and Missouri. It is believed the plant also once grew in Oklahoma, but, as of 2019, had not been found there for at least 150 years.
Like other prairie plants, naturally occurring wildfires are a necessary part of the eastern prairie fringed orchid’s life cycle. The orchid’s special root base allows it to survive the heat of the fire and triggers the flowers to bloom. These flowers are pollinated by nocturnal hawk and sphinx moths. These moths also have specially adapted, extra-long proboscises (tongues) which allow them to drink the orchid’s nectar.
In September 1999, the US Fish and Wildlife Service initiated a plan to help recover and protect the eastern prairie fringed orchid. With the help of this plan, this stunning orchid will hopefully be around for many years to come.
US #5443
2020 Platanthera Leucophaea – Wild Orchids
- Pictures the eastern prairie fringed orchid
- Part of the Wild Orchids set picturing nine orchid species native to the United States (one species shown twice)
Stamp Category: Definitive
Set: Wild Orchids
Value: 55¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: February 21, 2020
First Day City: Coral Gables, Florida
Quantity Issued: 15,000,000 OR 50,000,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Coils of 3,000 OR Coils of 10,000
Perforations: Serpentine die cut 10 ¾ vertically
Tagging: Nonphosphored type III
Why the stamp was issued: To showcase the beauty and diversity of different species of wild orchids.
About the stamp design: Pictures a photograph by Jim Fowler of the eastern prairie fringed orchid, a species that grows wild in the United States.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held in Coral Gables, Florida, home to the headquarters of the American Orchid Society.
About the Wild Orchids set: Includes 10 stamps picturing photographs by Jim Fowler of nine different orchids (one species shown twice) native to the United States. Species include: the three birds (pictured twice), California lady’s slipper, crested coralroot, showy lady’s slipper, marsh lady’s tresses, eastern prairie fringed, greater purple fringed, grass pink, and yellow cowhorn orchids. These are all beautiful wildflowers that most people don’t get the opportunity to see. They’re all hard to find today.
History the stamp represents: Many wild orchids native to the United States are federally listed endangered species. One especially threatened species is Platanthera leucophaea – the “eastern prairie fringed” orchid.
Platanthera leucophaea is a large, showy orchid with up to 40 small, white flowers. It grows up to three feet tall and is found in wet tallgrass prairies, meadows, and old fields. Most eastern prairie fringed orchids are found in the Great Lakes Region, though small groups have been seen in parts of Maine, Virginia, Iowa, and Missouri. It is believed the plant also once grew in Oklahoma, but, as of 2019, had not been found there for at least 150 years.
Like other prairie plants, naturally occurring wildfires are a necessary part of the eastern prairie fringed orchid’s life cycle. The orchid’s special root base allows it to survive the heat of the fire and triggers the flowers to bloom. These flowers are pollinated by nocturnal hawk and sphinx moths. These moths also have specially adapted, extra-long proboscises (tongues) which allow them to drink the orchid’s nectar.
In September 1999, the US Fish and Wildlife Service initiated a plan to help recover and protect the eastern prairie fringed orchid. With the help of this plan, this stunning orchid will hopefully be around for many years to come.