Flora & Fauna
Very little of the vegetation that is so much part of our Caribbean horticultural scene today is indigenous to the islands. Captain Bligh of the Bounty carried breadfruit from Africa and coconuts from Malaysia. Bananas and plantains stem from the Canary Islands, as does sugar cane. From Mexico, Central and South America came papaya, poinsettias, cashews, genips and allemanda. Tamarind and African tulip trees, guinea grass and many local vegetables are from Africa; Madagascar produced flamboyants. Hibiscus first bloomed in Hawaii and frangipani flourished in Asia.
It is my considerable pleasure to welcome you to the United States Virgin Islands. The residents of our Islands take genuine pride in the beauty of our land and sea and in the diversity of our people. We thank you for choosing to visit the Virgin Islands. I hope that you will return again and again, thereby getting to know each of our unique and wonder-filled islands.
Welcome to the United States Virgin Islands – America’s Caribbean! St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas are each distinguished by unique and appealing personalities. I invite you to discover the distinct and varied offerings of each of our islands. 
Sincerely,
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Looking toward the western horizon just after sunset may give you a glimpse of two planets, the one slightly higher and much brighter is Venus and lower and fainter is Saturn. They both will be setting very shortly after the Sun so they may be hard to see in the glare of sunset. Once the sky grows dark, look high in the southeastern sky and you will easily spot the largest of all the planets, Jupiter. Jupiter looks like a bright star-like object, somewhat yellowishwhite in color.
