Daily printout: May 1

The Postal Service dedicated its Dahlias stamps at the Westpex stamp show in Burlingame, CA, on April 26.

The stamps celebrate the beauty of dahlias, which are native to Mexico and Central America.

Dahlias have experienced a resurgence in popularity in the United States and elsewhere. They belong to the Asteraceae family, which also includes sunflowers, zinnias, asters, rudbeckias and daisies.

With around 40 species and more than 50,000 cultivars, dahlias come in almost every shade except blue and black. Forms range from delicate star-shaped blooms to dense, intricate balls of petals with sturdy, hollow stems.

Speakers at the ceremony included Carla Jackson, a California 1 District customer relations manager; Behruz Nassre, Westpex chairman; Scott English, American Philatelic Society executive director; and Julie Lanesey from the Dahlia Society of California.

Trevor Bills of the American Philatelic Society was master of ceremonies.

The stamp art features 10 close-up images of dahlias with pink, white, yellow, magenta and red blossoms.

Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, designed the stamps using photographs by Denise Ippolito.

The stamps are available in booklets of 20 and in coils of 3,000 and 10,000 at Post Offices and usps.com.

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The Postal Service will observe Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, which begins Thursday, May 1.

It’s a time to celebrate the cultures and achievements of Americans of Asian, Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian descent — the fastest-growing racial group in the nation, according to the 2020 census.

Approximately 8 percent of the Postal Service workforce identifies as Asian American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.

The observance is held in May primarily for two reasons: The nation’s first Japanese immigrants arrived May 7, 1843, and the transcontinental railroad — built mainly through the labor of Chinese immigrants — was completed May 10, 1869.

Recent stamps celebrating this diverse community include Go for Broke: Japanese American Soldiers of WWII; Chien-Shiung Wu, honoring the atomic physicist; and Diwali, commemorating the five-day Hindu festival of lights.

Hawaii and Hawaiians have also been frequent stamp subjects. Among those spotlighted have been Olympic athlete Duke Kahanamoku, Aloha shirts, the Lili’uokalani Gardens in Hilo, and two of the 16 National Marine Sanctuaries stamps.

Additionally, the Postal Service’s Lunar New Year stamps are a perennial favorite.

This year’s release, part of a Lunar New Year series that began in 2020, honors the Year of the Snake.

Previous series ran from 1992-2004 and 2008-2019.

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