US #5848
2024 Ruby-throated Hummingbird & Sugar Flowers – Garden Delights
• Continues the tradition of flowers on US definitive stamps
Stamp Category: Definitive
Set: Garden Delights
Value: 68¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: March 16, 2024
First Day City: Strongsville, Ohio
Quantity Issued: 525,000,000
Printed by: Ashton... more
US #5848
2024 Ruby-throated Hummingbird & Sugar Flowers – Garden Delights
• Continues the tradition of flowers on US definitive stamps
Stamp Category: Definitive
Set: Garden Delights
Value: 68¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: March 16, 2024
First Day City: Strongsville, Ohio
Quantity Issued: 525,000,000
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Double-sided Booklets of 20
Watermark: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tag Applied
Why the stamp was issued: To celebrate the beauty of garden flowers and hummingbirds.
About the stamp design: Pictures a photograph of a female ruby-throated hummingbirds next to sugar flowers. Existing photograph by wildlife photographer Ben King.
First Day City: There was no official First Day of Issue Ceremony for these stamps, but the postmark was from Strongsville, Ohio.
About the Garden Delights set: Includes four stamps picturing photographs of female ruby-throated hummingbirds next to different garden flowers: sunflower, spotted touch-me-not, zinnia, and sugar flowers.
History the stamp represents: Hummingbirds symbolize good luck, love, and healing. That’s why many people turn their gardens into hummingbird sanctuaries. It gives them a better chance of seeing these beautiful and colorful creatures while helping the species at the same time.
A hummingbird sanctuary requires much of what any species needs – food, water, and shelter. Since hummingbirds have high metabolisms, they need to eat almost constantly to stay alive. Since 90% of their diets consist of nectar, having several hummingbird feeders and nectar plants is a sure way to entice them to your yard. Be sure to offer nectar that does not have any added dyes as these can be quite harmful to hummingbirds. Instead, opt for brightly colored feeders (especially orange and red) to let hummingbirds know food is nearby.
Hummingbirds also love taking baths. They enjoy drip fountains or misters and will bathe often. Sometimes they will also clean themselves in water left on leaves from the rain. You’ll love seeing them preen and fluff up their feathers as they dip themselves into the water.
Lastly, hummingbirds need shelter. Having perches in open spaces so they can survey the area is a must. They also need places within shrubs or other plants so they can hide from predators as well as shelter from the cold. If you add all these elements to your garden, you’ll have a hummingbird sanctuary in no time!
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