| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Date of Issue | July 4, 1988 |
| Year | 1988 |
| Quantity | 4,290,000 |
| Denomination |
37¢
|
| Perforation or Dimension | 12 x 12.5 |
| Series | Butterflies of Canada |
| Series Time Span | 1988 |
| Printer | Ashton-Potter Limited. |
| Postal Administration | Canada |
| Condition | Name | Avg Value |
|---|---|---|
|
M-NH-VF
|
Mint - Never Hinged - Very Fine | Only available to paid users |
|
U-VF
|
Used - Very Fine | Only available to paid users |
The hidden date for this stamp can be found along the left edge of the stamp.
Butterflies symbolize the short-lived but intense joys of the Canadian summer better than any other creature. Four new stamps depicting Canadian butterflies are being issued in conjunction with the XVIII International Congress of Entomology being held in Vancouver, British Columbia from 3 to 9 July 1988. There are over 20,000 known species of the butterfly of which 272 exist in Canada. Canadian varieties have wing spans from less than 2.5 cm to 7.5 cm. Life cycles range from a few week to two years and involve a complete metamorphosis through the egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and adult stages. The Short-tailed Swallowtail (Papilio brevicauda) is the only species whose range is restricted to Canada. It lives in the Maritimes and eastern Quebec. Sir William Saunders, who established Canada's Experimental Farm System, first scientifically described this butterfly. On these stamps, designed by well-known Toronto graphic artist Heather Cooper, the butterflies come alive against a subdued background suggestive of the type of vegetation inhabited by each species. This illustrative approach is typical of Cooper's work, recognized for having a magic element - a kind of "fantasy realism".