Wildflowers bloom March 1 on stamps in Canada Post’s Spring Flowers series

By David Hartwig

Canada Post showcases two species of wildflowers native to Canada on a pair of stamps to be issued March 1.

The latest in Canada’s Spring Flowers series, the stamps show Asclepias tuberosa, commonly known as butterfly milkweed; and Monarda punctata, known as spotted beebalm.

“These wildflowers are important sources of food for a variety of pollinators, including hummingbirds and insects such as butterflies and bees,” Canada Post said.

Canada Post offers this se-tenant (side-by-side) pair of nondenominated permanent-rate (currently 92¢) Wildflower stamps in a booklet of 10, coil of 50 and souvenir sheet of two.

The stamp design of the butterfly milkweed plant shows orange flowers extending beyond the frame of the background.

Leaves of plants in the milkweed family are the only source of food for monarch butterfly caterpillars. In Canada, milkweed is native only to certain regions of southern Ontario and southwestern Quebec, but the plant plays an important role in sustaining monarch populations before their annual migration to Mexico.

Monarchs lay eggs in the milkweed plant, where the young caterpillars feed on the leaves before becoming chrysalides and emerging as butterflies. The adult monarchs live for about a month, and the process is repeated.

However, monarchs that emerge in late summer migrate through Ontario instead of reproducing. Monarchs will congregate by the thousands along the shores of the Great Lakes before crossing when weather permits.

Monarchs can travel between 50 to 100 miles per day, and the journey to Mexico can take up to two months.

The other stamp design shows the purple leaf bracts of the spotted beebalm extending beyond the frame, with the plant’s purple-spotted tubular flowers positioned close to the stem.

A member of the mint family, spotted beebalm is native to eastern Canada and the eastern United States. It also is found in parts of the central and southwestern United States. The plant attracts a wide variety of pollinating insects, including bees, wasps and butterflies.

Spotted beebalm historically has been used medicinally on horses, as well as humans, for the treatment of stomach ailments, the common cold and more. The plant is also referred to as horsemint.

Both spotted beebalm and butterfly milkweed are popular with …

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