INDEPENDENT MAIL (Andersen, S Carolina) 09 August 03 Amphibians and reptiles to appear on stamps (Syd Kronish)

(AP) Reptiles and amphibians are scary to some, fascinating and fanciful to others. And, by most of us, they’re underestimated as to their vital importance to our environment.

Realizing their significance to humans and the environment, the U.S. Postal Service will release a pane of 20 self-adhesive 37-cent stamps featuring two amphibians and three reptiles. The Postal Service has designated these designs as the official stamps to celebrate National Stamp Collecting Month in October.

The pane consists of five digital illustrations by Steve Buchanan displaying the creatures native to various parts of the United States. Buchanan is well versed in depicting plants and insects on stamps. His previous projects include the Carnivorous Plants stamps (2001), his award-winning designs for the Tropical Flowers stamps (1999) and the Insects & Spiders stamps, also 1999.

The new stamps show the blue-spotted salamander, the ornate chorus frog, the reticulate collared lizard, the ornate box turtle and the scarlet king snake.

The blue-spotted salamander lives in forests with moist soil. A secretive amphibian, it stays under cover during the day and emerges at night to search for food on the forest floor. This long-tailed salamander is found in the northeastern United States and the Great Lakes region.

The ornate chorus frog is more often heard than seen. Its distinctive call is a series of peeps given during late fall, winter and early spring. This frog is found primarily in the central and southern coastal plain and in north Florida.

The reticulate collard lizard is an alert and active reptile with a large head, long tail and strong limbs. It resides in thorny brush country in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas. It sometimes can be seen sunning on rocks and, at other times, hiding beneath rocks.

The ornate box turtle is a reptile found in prairies and open woodlands. This turtle can close its shell completely to protect it from predators. It is found primarily in the central and southwestern United States.

The colorful scarlet king snake closely resembles the venomous eastern coral snake. It is seldom seen in the open except at night or after heavy rains. The scarlet king snake resides in the southeastern and south-central United States.

First-day ceremonies and sale of these stamps will take place Oct. 7 at the San Diego Zoo. The five stamps will be available at post offices across the country starting Oct.8. First-day postmarks can be obtained by calling (800) STAMP-24.

Amphibians and reptiles to appear on stamps

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