[Editor’s Note: Get out your favorite field guide so that you will have photographs as you follow Martha’s songs.]

Acmon Blue: 
Ol' Plebejus Acmon was proud 
Of his dorsal broad orange band loud,  
His black spots were seen  
To have sparkle and sheen, 
But his forewings were not so endowed!  

Square Spotted Blue: 
Euphilotes battoides was straight! 
His cousin, Acmon, second-rate. . .   
Acmon had his dots,  
But Euphy had lots 
Of the finest-made squares in the state!  

Dotted Blue: 
Battoides had a twin they call Enoptes, 
They never asked, 
"Did Mom and Dad adopt us?"  
They looked so much the same  
That they made it quite a game, 
"To distinguish us, you've got to microscop us!" 

Silvery Blue:
Glaucopsyche lygdamus sang, too, 
Of his dots all lined up like a pew,  
Each had its white ring  
To which it would cling
On the wings of Ol' Silvery Blue!  

Arctic Blue: 
Agriades glandon, our high roller,
He loved mountains and places polar! 
His cream-colored halos  
And median spots
Made nice warm white patches from various dots.   

Arrowhead Blue: 
Glaucopsyche piasus still brags 
Of his arrowheads' zigs and their zags, 
But the others do cringe  
At his checkered old fringe, 
Flitting 'bout in such tatters and rags!   

Melissa Blue: 
Melissa loved orange the best, 
She started and she wouldn't rest  
'Till her border was wound  
On her wings all around, 
And she said, "I am very well dressed!"   

Northern Blue:
 Her sister thought orange too bold,
 "That color's too bright to behold!" 
The orange with her blue  
Is of subtler hue, 
Idas likes to blend in I am told.  

Western Tailed Blue: 
Everes amyntula stewed,
"Just look for my tail you dumb dude!" 
And yes there it was,  
With its Western blue fuzz, 
And that was the end of their feud! 

Eastern Tailed Blue: 
Everes comyntas said, 
"No! Come here and don't look at my foe! 
 I have a tail, too,  
And spots not so few, 
We Easterners put on a show!"  

Spring Azure: 
Celastrina argiolus the Great, 
Thought G. piasus second rate!  
That white band he wore  
Made him look such a bore 
That she never wore such a mistake!   
She changed her clothes all through the day, 
Oft' starting with vague spots on grey!  
Or discal dark scales  
Or summertime pales, 
Or dark marginal bands just for play!  
Some say Celestrina was obsessed, 
She wouldn't wear less than the best!  
Her crescents she would sew  
A hindwing ventral row, 
Hoping we would all be impressed!    
They called her Spring Azure for fun. 
Her pleasure was second to none.    
She showed up in Spring,  
The first on the wing, 
And brought with her bright rays of sun!  

Brephidium pseudofea: 
(Brephidium isopththalma may be  
substituted according to your taste!)
Pygmy's mom did try 
To teach him how to fly, 
Down by the marsh  
She wasn't harsh, 
He just couldn't go very high! 
She fed him Sal-i-cornia, 
Though not from Cal-i-fornia! 
They stayed in the East, 
And named the Little Beast, 
Brephidium pseudofea!    
His jacket was brown on the outside, 
His sister wore reddish with pride,  
Their linings grey-brown,  
Dark fringe all around, 
Did nothing to strengthen their glide!  
They looked so plain and so small, 
Their mom couldn't see them at all!  
So bold hindwing spots,  
White striations across, 
Their wings she did promptly install!     

Plebejus icarioides: 
Plebejus icarioides had one 
Of the finest names under the sun,  I
carioides. . . Boisduval . . .   
Flow nicely down the hall. . .  
And mellifluously off the tip of your tongue! 
Life could have been happy and fine! 
If not for the dread Lupine wine!  
"I had such a name,  and glory and fame. . .  
But now the name, 
Common, is mine!"  
My coat is the shabbiest by far, 
Of all of my friends at the bar,  
With discal spot, faded,  
Median haloes o'er-stated 
My forewing spots look far too large!  

 by Martha Robinson

G'num2004Vol5No3