The Forest Fashion Show

(From Under The Hawaiian Sky)
Music by Roslyn Catracchia; Lyrics by Lisa Matsumoto

Drake:
Upon Samantha's head you can see a lovely headdress,
and it's made of the blossoms of the mamane tree.
Found among the blossoms is the bright palila
Who feeds on the seeds of the mamane tree.
Busy yellow-faced bees buzz around the blossoms
These bees are important for they pollinate the trees
Next you'll see her cape, a cape that's made of naio
The naio and mamane are the two dominant trees!

Oh yeah, it's
Fashion!
Forest fashion!
Fantastic forest fashion!
I said it's
Fashion!

Around her lovely neck, Samantha wears the small-leaf maile And her dress is made of mamane trees
Samantha lives high where it's cool and dry
Where clouds and fog provide water for her trees
Her name's Samantha
The Subalpine Forest
Oh yeah Samantha
Our subalpine forest

Samantha:
Next we have Monique the Montane Mesic Forest!

The lovely Monique also wears a lovely headdress
And this beautiful headdress is from the koa tree
Koa is endemic, and is valuable to humans
Who make bowls and many items from the wood of this tree
Koa is a home for koa bugs and native insects
Like the blackburn butterfly found near koa trees
Monique wears a cape made of tiny yellow blossoms
Tiny yellow ball blossoms from the koa tree

Because it's
Fashion!
Forest fashion!
Fantastic forest fashion!
Oh yeah it's
Fashion!

'Io the Hawaiian hawk, soars high above Monique
Whose dress is made of koa, her dominant tree
Monique lives upland and often can be found
Where it's not too wet, and not too dry, but just right for her needs
Her name's Monique
The Montane Mesic Forest
Thank you Monique
Our Montane Mesic Forest

Monique:
From the windward slops, we have Raymond Rainforest!

Raymond wears a hat made of red lehua blossoms
The lehua is the blossom from the 'ohi'a tree
Among the bright lehua is the rare 'Akohekohe
The crested honeycreeper also helps 'ohi'a trees
For everytime she sips on the nectar of lehua
Her big fluffy crest helps to pollinate the tree
Raymond wears a cape of moist misty clouds
Which provide lots of water for his many plants and trees.

Oh yes, it's
Fashion!
Forest fashion!
Fantastic forest fashion!
It's simply
Fashion!

If you look very closely tiny creatures can be found
On his vest made of 'ohi'a, his dominant tree
Raymond can be found where there's always lots of rain
This helps mosses, ferns and lichens to grow abundantly
His name is Raymond
The wet Rainforest
Oh yeah, he's Raymond
Our wet Rainforest

Raymond:
From the lower slopes on the leeward side, here's Drake Dryforest!

Notice Drake is wearing a wiliwili hat
After all, the wiliwili is his dominant tree
The cape that he is wearing is made of pili grass
This useful grass for thatching you will find beneath the trees
The a'ali'i shrub can be found there on his vest
On his vest made of lama and wiliwili trees
'Ope'ape'a, Hawai'i's own native bat
You can see is quite content to be resting in the trees

Say it with me
Fashion!
Forest fashion!
Fantastic forest fashion!
Here we go now
Fashion!

Drake can be found on the dry leeward side
He's open and he's spacious, he's not cluttered with trees
This allows the sunlight to reach his forest floor
And lots of sun and not much rain keeps him dry it's plain to see his name is Drake
He's a Dry Forest
That's right, he's Drake
Drake the Dryforest

Let's take one last look at our fantastic forest fashions!

Fashion! Fashion! Fashion! Fashion!
Fashion! Fashion! Fashion! Fashion!
Fashion! Fashion! Fashion! Fashion! Fashion!

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