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The workhorse of Caribbean gardens and roadsides, this shrub bears flowers in myriad hues. Red is the most common, but there are literally thousands of varieties with single, double, and even triple blooms. Picked blooms stay open all day.

WWhile you can strike out on your own, Ay-Ayeco Hike and Tours organizes guided eco-tours through plantation ruins and natural areas.

Sage Mountain National Park (seeSage Mountain National Park, Tortola) is crisscrossed with shady hiking trails, none of them particularly strenuous or busy. Spend hours enjoying the solitude.

For great views from the top of Virgin Gorda’s Gorda Peak, take the 15-minute hike off North Sound Road. Many outer islands have trails leading to their peaks.

There are hiking trails all over the island. Some are easy treks over flat terrain, but others head uphill.

Paul and Jill’s Equestrian Stables offer rides through the rainforest and the hills surrounding its base at the 18th-century Sprat Hall plantation.

Carolina Corral, located just outside Coral Bay, runs one-hour trips along quiet lanes and pebbly beaches. Rides leave from Route 107 across from the restaurant Time for a Break.

Shadow Stables takes you trotting along beautiful, deserted beaches and up and down Tortola’s hills. The island takes on a new perspective when viewed from the saddle, and spectacular vistas are all around.

With wings flapping at phenomenal speeds, hummingbirds hover over flowers to dine on their nectar. Mostly green in color, they’re easy to spot as they dart here and there. They’re so well loved that residents make homes for them in feeders made of coconut shells.

Looking like prehistoric creatures, bright green baby iguanas and the darker adults thrive all over the US and British Virgin Islands, but trees in dry areas see greater populations. They’re somewhat elusive in most areas, and a sighting is a special event.