Nature of America, a highly successful stamp series of the United States Post Office, ran from 1999-2010 and includes 12 panes of 10 stamps each. The series covers the wide range of natural environments found in the United States, starting with the Sonoran Desert pane (Scott #3293) and concluding with the Hawaiian Rain Forest pane (Scott #4474).
Inspired by the success of the dioramas of The World of Dinosaurs issue of 1997 (Scott #3136), the Nature of America Panes were printed on large sheets 9″ x 8 3/4″ (233mm x 171mm) in self-adhesive format. To avoid any distraction from the visual continuity of the artwork the stamps are serpentine die cut, self-adhesive within the panorama. The back of panes have descriptive text of the stamp images and the flora and fauna depicted are identified and labeled.
A favorite issue of stamp collectors, the set goes far beyond stamp collection to those who appreciate the economical diversity of the United States. The complete 12 pane set includes the Sonoran Desert (1999), Pacific Coast Rain Forest (2000), Great Plains Prairie (2001), Longleaf Pine Forest (2002), Arctic Tundra (2003), Pacific Coral Reef (2004), Northeast Deciduous Forest (2005), Southern Florida Wetland (2006), Alpine Tundra (2007), Great Lakes Dunes (2008), Kelp Forest (2009), and Hawaiian Rain Forest (2010).
