Common Buckeye Butterfly 24¢ Postage Stamps, 2006 Sheet – Additional Postage for Cards and Letters

Buchanan began the project by borrowing a preserved specimen of the Common Buckeye from The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and studying it under a microscope. Then using a digitizing tablet and stylus he "painted" a portrait of the butterfly on his computer, positioning it against a plain white background with a shadow to suggest depth. After consulting with an entomologist at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, Buchanan made some minor corrections and adjustments to the artwork. The final result is an exquisitely detailed and precise artistic rendering of this butterfly.