Bee card with pink milkweed flowers is digitally printed using archival pigment inks on silky, bright white, acid-free paper. Folded card is 5.25" by 5.25" and comes with a beautifully made, bright white envelope. The photograph I used to create the honeybee mandala is printed on the back of the card with the photo location. Interior of the card is blank and the paper is super smooth, not slick, and takes gel, ballpoint, and other inks well. Perfect as an everyday note, thinking of you, or birthday card for a beekeeper, gardener, entomologist, or someone interested in native plants and pollinators. The card and envelope are packaged together in a plastic sleeve and mailed in a stiffened mailer.

Framing. This bee card is created using high-quality materials, such as might be used in a museum. The print is sharp, bright, and frameable. To protect the vibrancy of the artwork, I frame using UV glass or acrylic, and I recommend it. If you use plain glass or acrylic, make sure you hang this sweet, little piece and all your beautiful art away from direct sunlight.

Postage. Because irregularly shaped mail, like this square bee card, must be canceled by hand, the U.S. Postal Service requires extra postage to deliver them. Special "butterfly stamps" carry the exact right postage to mail your bee card within the U.S. If you would like me to stamp the envelope with a butterfly stamp so it's ready for you to mail, please choose that option from the menu.

About the Art. The mandala art on this bee card, titled Communion of Bees, began as a photograph of a honeybee on milkweed blooms taken in the West Virginia Botanic Garden near Morgantown, West Virginia. The finished mandala has an almost frilly Victorian feel, but the bees are by no means sitting in the parlor sipping tea; in fact, they're constantly on the move, moving from flower to flower as they gather nectar and pollen for the making of honey. Although, surprisingly, maybe not as important to pollination as our native pollinators, honeybees do their part, moving pollen from flower to flower to ensure the production of seeds with diverse traits. This mandala is intended as a celebration of the honeybee, but also as a reminder of the tenuous plight of pollinators in the United States, caused in large part by the nation’s use of insecticides and other agricultural chemicals. Awareness is the first step toward being part of the solution.