2020 55¢ American Gardens:  Chicago Botanic Garden

Value:  55¢ 1-ounce First-class rate (Forever)

Issue Date:  May 13, 2020

First Day City:  Winterthur, DE

Type of Stamp:  Commemorative

Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America

Printing Method:  Offset

Format:  Pane of 20

Self-Adhesive

Quantity Printed:  50,000,000

The Chicago Botanic Garden is one of Chicago’s top 20 tourist attractions and the city’s seventh largest cultural institution.  It is made up of 385 acres and considered to be a type of “living museum.”  The garden is spread across nine islands of Cook County Forest Preserve and includes 27 display gardens.

The Chicago Botanic Garden opened in 1972 and has been expanding ever since.  There are many smaller gardens within the Chicago Botanic Garden for visitors to explore.  A few examples include: bonsai collection, bulb garden, dwarf conifer garden, English oak meadow, fruit and vegetable garden, aquatic garden, native plant garden, and Japanese garden.

One of the most important missions of the Chicago Botanic Garden is plant conservation.  The garden works together with local, national, and international organizations to protect and restore rare plants.  One of their goals is to collect 10,000 seeds from 1,500 native Midwest species for conservation and restoration.  The Chicago Botanic Garden is also a member of Chicago Wilderness, a group of 200 local organizations sworn to preserve and restore Chicago’s natural areas.

There are many areas of the Chicago Botanic Garden to explore, ensuring that, no matter where a visitor comes from, they can find something beautiful and familiar to enjoy in Chicago.