Nature of America is a series of twelve self-adhesive stamp sheets that the United States Postal Service released annually between 1999 and 2010 starting with the Sonoran Desert sheet and ending with the Hawaiian Rain Forest Sheet.Nature to play major role in 199 postage Kingman Daily Miner - Nov 19, 1998 Like the Celebrate the Century stamp series, these were printed on large sheets 9"x8¾" (233mm x 171mm), but differed from the former in that they were self adhesive and not gummed.
Design process The sheets were designed by Ethel Kessler and illustrated by artist John D. DawsonNature of America stamp series includes stunning kelp forest scene New Jersey.com 4 November 2009Hilo Artist’s Work to Be Featured on USPS Bonsai Stamp Series Big Island Newscenter Retrieved 22 August 2011 for the USPS. The original idea for the series, conceived 1996, was for a set of four American desert stamps. This was inspired by the success of Desert Plants commemorative stamps released in 1981. Artist John D. Dawson was recommended by art director Howard Paine and selected for the illustration of these four stamps. Paine had worked with Dawson on three previous USPS issues: American Cats (1988), Idaho Statehood (1990), and Flowering Trees (1998). From four stamps the idea expanded into a proposed set of six stamp sheets covering six ecosystems. After the commercial success of the first sheets the USPS decided to extend the series by six more ecosystems from the Sonoran Desert to the Hawaiian Rain Forest.
The design team drew inspiration from The World of Dinosaurs two-sheet issue of 1997. These sheets were panoramic in design with punched perforations on a gummed sheet. Since the punched perforations would distract the visual continuity of the design, the team decided to go for the self-adhesive format with serpentine die cutting for the individual stamps. Each sheet consisted of a large panoramic image of a U.S. geographical region, with the region's flora and fauna clearly visible. Ten stamps were die cut on to the design, each composing one or more species indigenous to the depicted region. The rear of sheet had a brief descriptive text of the stamp images, accompanied with a graphic outline of the stamp images. The flora and fauna depicted were identified and labelled.
The sheets Starting with the Sonoran Desert sheet, the USPS issued a total of twelve sheets in the series. The sheets issued along with date and place of issue denomination and printer: Ecosystem Date of issue Place of issue No. stampsin sheet Face Value PrinterSonoran DesertApril 6, 1999Tucson, Arizona1033¢Banknote Corporation of America1999 33c Sonoran Desert s/a Pane/10 - Catalog # 3293 Mystic Stamp Co Retrieved 22 July 2013Pacific Coast Rain ForestMarch 28, 2000Seattle, Washington1033¢Banknote Corporation of America2000 33c Pacific Coast Rain Forest, s/a - Catalog # 3378 Mystic Stamp Co Retrieved 22 July 2013Great Plains PrairieMarch 29, 2001Lincoln, Nebraska1034¢Ashton-Potter (USA) Ltd2001 34c Great Plains Prairie - Catalog # 3506 Mystic Stamp Co Retrieved 22 July 2013Longleaf Pine ForestNew stamp series depicts Longleaf Pine Forest Times Daily - Feb 16, 2002April 26, 2002Tallahassee, Florida1034¢American Packaging Corp. for Sennet Security2002 34c Longleaf Pine Forest s/a - Catalog # 3611 Mystic Stamp Co Retrieved 22 July 2013Arctic TundraJuly 1, 2003Fairbanks, Alaska1037¢ Banknote Corporation of America 2003 37c Arctic Tundra - Catalog # 3802 Mystic Stamp Co Retrieved 22 July 2013Pacific Coral ReefMore in store for 2003 - stamps that is The Albany Herald - Dec 21, 2003Jan 2, 2004Honolulu, Hawaii1037¢ Avery DennisonSTAMP ANNOUNCEMENT 03-33 Pacific Coral Reef Stamps USPS Retrieved 22 July 2013Northeast Deciduous ForestMarch 3, 2005New York, New York1037¢Avery Dennison2005 37c Northeast Deciduous Forest - Catalog # 3899 Mystic Stamp Co Retrieved 22 July 2013Southern Florida WetlandScores of new postage stamps Moscow-Pullman Daily News - Dec 1, 2005October 5, 2006Naples, Florida1039¢Avery Dennison2006 39c Southern Florida Wetland - Catalog # 4099 Mystic Stamp Co Retrieved 22 July 2013Alpine TundraAugust 28, 2007Estes Park, Colorado1041¢Sennett Security ProductsStamp Announcement 07-37: Alpine Tundra USPS Retrieved 22 July 2013Great Lakes DunesOctober 2, 2008Empire, Michigan1042¢ Avery DennisonStamp Announcement 08-43: Nature of America: Great Lakes Dunes USPS Retrieved 22 July 2013Kelp Forest Reuters 30 September 2009October 1, 2009Monterey, California 1044¢ Avery Dennison2009 44c Kelp Forest - Catalog # 4423 Mystic Stamp Co Retrieved 22 July 2013Hawaiian Rain ForestHawaiian Rain Forest is final stamp in nature series New Jersey.com 19 August 2010September 1, 2010Hawaii National ParkStamp Announcement 10-22: Nature of America: Hawaiian Rain Forest USPS Retrieved 22 July 2013 1044¢Banknote Corporation of America, Inc
References and sources References
Sources USPS News Releases