We’ve all heard of rainforests, which are sort of a cross between regular forests and jungles, and we know they exist in wet, tropical places. Some of us have visited a rainforest in Puerto Rico or Hawaii. But did you know that there are rainforests in the U.S. Virgin Islands – St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix? Even though much of these islands are covered with fairly scrubby and dry plants, there are gullies, valleys, and other special spots where the environment is damp and shady, perhaps with a running brook, and full of lush trees, like the West Indies mahogany, and there is a rainforest.

Such places are a treat to visit, after the hot beach, rocky coasts, and usual tinder-dry vegetation of the U.S. Virgin Islands. With this in mind, I added a rainforest in my Island series books, when I imagined the island of St. Mark, smallest of the U.S. Virgin Islands. This rainforest is the site of morning runs, scary encounters, and a tumbling creek that cuts through a gap in the surrounding valley wall to form a high waterfall.

I invite you to seek out a rainforest on your next visit to the islands, and enjoy the shade, the foliage, and even the air of mystery. Who knows, you may spot a Jumbee slinking through the trees.