Swamp stamp

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Postal Service issued the Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia/Florida 69-cent International Canada and Mexico letter rate stamp today. The stamp features a photograph of a pond in the Okefenokee Swamp, taken by José Azel of Lovell, Maine. Text on the stamp reads, “Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia/Florida.” Available nationwide today, the self-adhesive stamp is available in panes of 20.

The Okefenokee Swamp encompasses nearly 700 square miles in southeastern Georgia and a small portion of northern Florida. The swamp serves as the headwaters for the Suwannee and St. Mary's Rivers and is home to a wide range of animal and plant life, from alligators, cranes, and black bears to cypress trees and carnivorous plants. This area derives its name from a Native American term meaning “land of the trembling earth.”

Birders might recognize the swamp as the site of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge offers a downloadable bird checklist here.