Front:
USA 45
Pumpkinseed Sumfish
SHINGTO
DEC
1992
20066
KEN WALKE
DC
WASHI
Back:
PUMPKINSEED SUNFISH
First Day of Issue: December 2, 1992
First Issue Location: Washington, D.C.
Many a young lad has sat along the banks of a quiet pond
on a hot summer day, fishing pole in hand, watching in
wonder as schools of sunfish darted past his bait, their
colorful reflections shimmering through the cool, clear
water. Sunfish are small, brightly colored fish indigenous
to waters east of the Rocky Mountains. Pumpkinseed
sunfish, like most other sunfish, are named for their color.
Their sides are gold and speckled with orange, green and
red flecks. Their undersides have a bronze to red-orange
hue, and the sides of their heads are embellished with
wavy blue lines. Sunfish are carnivorous predators. And
what they eat depends to some degree on the size of the
individual sunfish. In general, sunfish hunt and feed on
other fish, frogs, tadpoles, worms, snails, small crusta-
ceans, insect larvae and fish eggs. When it comes time to
raise families, male sunfish dig spawning pits in shallow
locations near shore, enticing females to lay their eggs. In
most species of sunfish, males zealously guard the eggs.
No. 92-133
First Day of Issue Postcard Collection™
©1992 Fleetwood® Cheyenne, WY 82008-0001
Original painting for the First Day of Issue Postcard by Ken Walker
Fleetwood
