October 4, 2007
Ottawa - From the dragonfly resting on an air mattress in cottage country to lady bugs in farmers fields, insects that benefit the environment are everywhere and on October 12, Canada Post will issue a set of five low value definitive stamps featuring five of them.
Canada Post Stamp Services Archivist, Angelique Dawson, says "I looked to my own backyardliterallyfor the inspiration behind this stamp issue."
Beneficial Insects are a subject matter many Canadian gardeners will be pleased to see appear on a stamp. The new penny stamps (1-2-5-10-25-cents) will be embellished by the every day beauty of these common insects known as the Ladybug (Convergent Lady Beetle), the Lacewing (Golden-Eyed Lacewing), the Bumblebee (Northern Bumblebee), the Dragonfly (Canada Darner) and the Moth (Cecropia Moth).
Farmers and gardeners alike are using insects as alternatives to pesticide. Lacewings in particular are used as part of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program for field and horticultural crops. The Northern Bumblebee contributes to the pollination of Arctic flowers, while a single ladybug can devour up to 60 aphids (also known as plant lice) a day. The dragonfly can fly at speeds of 54 KM per hour and is a major predator of mosquitoes, and the Cecropia Moth is highly valued for the fine and durable silk it spins.
Stamp designer Keith Martin took a playful approach in creating the stamps, positioning the images such that the content of the stamp the bug itself works in each orientation. The rich, saturated colours that characterize this set of five low-value definitives create the illusion of each insect being lit up, almost as if in a photo studio. Martin captured the uniqueness of each insect while unifying them as a set. "By darkening and fading the edges, I created a unified border so that when they touch, the individual stamps bleed together as one", Martin said.
Canadian Bank Note printed the low value definitive stamps using lithography in five colours on Tullis Russell paper. The stamps are backed by PVA gum and each stamp is available in panes of 50. 350,000 copies of the Souvenir Sheet contain all five stamps, as do the 2,500 copies of the Uncut Press Sheet. The Official First Day Cover cancellation reads BEETON ON.
More information on the low-value definitive stamps is available in the Newsroom section of the Canada Post Web site; and photos of the stamps are available in the Photo Centre of the Newsroom. The stamp panes and Official First Day Cover will be available at participating post offices, online following the links on the Canada Post Web site (www.canadapost.ca) or by mail from the National Philatelic Centre. From Canada or the United States, call toll-free 1 800 565-4362; from other countries call (902) 863-6550.
