This one may actually count as a modern stamp! Most of what I’ve posted has dated from the late 1950s to the early 1980s. This one, from 2006, brings us a little closer to the present day…
The goldmohn is also known as the eschscholzia californica, California poppy, the golden poppy, California Sunlight or – my favourite – the cup of gold. As the name suggests, it is native to California and the wider west coast of the US. How did it end up on a German stamp? As is often the case, through well-travelled 19th century botanists. In this case, German botanist Adelbert von Chamisso (what a name!), who ventured to California in the 1810s, classified the plant and named it after his travelling buddy Johann Friedrich von Eschcholtz.
The California poppy was named the state flower of California in 1903.
Stamp of the Day 