USPS previews four Squirrels & Chipmunks in Snow stamps for Milcopex debut

The U.S. Postal Service has presented the four designs in its new Squirrels & Chipmunks in Snow Forever stamp booklet, scheduled to enter issue on 25 September 2026 at the Milcopex philatelic exhibition in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Published one day before release, the official preview confirms a booklet of 20 stamps built around four wildlife photographs: an American red squirrel, an eastern gray squirrel and two eastern chipmunks, all shown feeding in winter conditions. The stamps will be available through Post Offices and the USPS online store after release.

The four images concentrate on the small gestures and survival habits that make these animals familiar visitors to gardens, parks and woodland edges. One American red squirrel raises its front paws to its mouth, while an eastern gray squirrel is caught in the middle of eating. One eastern chipmunk faces the camera with cheeks visibly filled with food, and another is photographed from a turned angle as it feeds. Snow provides a common seasonal setting across the designs, linking four separate photographs into a coherent booklet rather than presenting them as unrelated animal portraits.

USPS art director Derry Noyes designed the stamps from existing wildlife photographs by four photographers. Fiona M. Donnelly supplied the image of the eastern chipmunk holding its paws to its mouth during a quiet feeding moment. Matt Prosser photographed the eastern gray squirrel mid-munch. Martha M. Stewart made the photograph of the eastern chipmunk with its cheek pouches full of food, and Ross Taylor captured the American red squirrel with its small paws raised. The individual credits give the issue a particularly well-documented photographic basis and allow collectors to connect each stamp with its source image.

Although animals in snowy landscapes have appeared on earlier United States stamps, USPS identifies this as the first issue devoted specifically to these woodland creatures. The subject separates the booklet from broader winter-wildlife and holiday designs. Instead of using an idealised illustration, each stamp preserves a real moment of animal behaviour: holding food, chewing, gathering supplies or pausing during feeding. The photographic treatment also reveals differences between the species, from the chipmunk's facial stripes and expandable cheek pouches to the red squirrel's smaller body and seasonal ear tufts.

The behaviour shown on the stamps is closely connected to the animals' different winter strategies. Eastern gray squirrels and American red squirrels remain active throughout the cold months. They move through trees and across snow while searching for food, including supplies hidden earlier in the season. The American red squirrel develops a thicker winter coat and more prominent ear tufts as temperatures fall. Eastern chipmunks take another approach: they stock underground burrows with food and spend extended periods resting during the coldest weather, waking intermittently to eat from their stores rather than remaining continuously active above ground.

These natural-history details give the four designs more than a decorative seasonal connection. The full-cheeked chipmunk refers directly to food collection and storage, while the feeding squirrels reflect the continuing activity required to survive when snow covers familiar sources. Together, the photographs form a compact study of adaptation, behaviour and the relationship between small mammals and winter landscapes. For thematic collectors, the booklet crosses wildlife, mammals, rodents, animal behaviour, photography, snow and seasonal subjects.

The Milcopex debut gives the issue a specifically philatelic first-day setting. Organised in the Milwaukee area, the exhibition brings together dealers, exhibits and collectors, making it a natural launch venue for a wildlife booklet intended for both postal use and collecting. Brookfield is the official first-day city, creating opportunities for dated covers, ceremony