M3503

Longleaf Pine Forest

Fox Squirrel & Red-bellied Woodpecker

Cover Announcement 

Longleaf pines take 200 to 400 years to mature with some trees living to beyond 500 years. They reach heights up to 100 feet and diameters up to ten feet. The pine needles on this species grow to a length of ten inches, and the cones range from six to twelve inches long. It's the state tree of North Carolina.

I'm pleased to announce the availability of my first cover in this series. Various animal and plant-life forms found in the longleaf pine forest will be featured, and anyone who loves wildlife will treasure these individually hand painted cachets. The cover I've chosen to start this wildlife set features the handsome red-bellied woodpecker sitting on a branch, while nearby a curious fox squirrel scampers down a mature trunk. A stand of longleaf pine trees is shown in the background. The thing that makes this cachet (and those to follow) so appealing is the attention to detail. The fluffy softness of the squirrel's fur. The fluffy wistfulness of the delicate foreground flowers. The gnarled tangle of the woodpecker's branch. When hand painted watercolors are applied to the detailed scene, it brings the longleaf pine forest to life. By obtaining this first one now, you can look forward to putting the full set together one at a time over the next few months.

Wildlife is always a popular topic for collecting, and I'm sure that these hand painted Longleaf Pine Forest cachets will prove to be excellent ones to own. The remaining nine covers in this series will be announced in the coming weeks. At this time, I'm pleased to begin with the Red-Bellied Woodpecker/Fox Squirrel (Collins # M3503) at $12.25.