FISH TRAP
                         IN THE NEWS-2005

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Fish Trap Restaurant is for the birds……the hummingbirds, that is!
From St. John Sun Times March 23, 2005

By Madelon Janine

    Where on St. John can you view dozens of hummingbirds zipping here and there among beautiful flowering plants and bright red bird feeders, and get fed at the same time?  The Fish Trap Restaurant, that’s where.   And who has created and nurtured this fabulous in-town garden spot?

Meet Craig Utley, Fish Trap’s longtime Floor Manager, and green thumb extraordinaire!  Craig, who came from his native Virginia nine years ago, planted pots of flowers and baskets of greenery to enhance the ambience of the Fish Trap décor.   By putting out bird feeders and planting dozens of different flowers, Craig has managed to lure all sorts of birds to the area, including the dozens of Antillean Green Crested Hummingbirds and the Green-throated Carib Hummingbird.  Of course the bananaquits come too. Craig says that the hummingbirds will now feed from his fingers.

Craig has propagated the miniature Night Blooming Cereus which hang in baskets all along the rafters.  “They bloom 3 or 4 days after the full moon and are very fragrant.  The patrons love them.” Craig says he has given away at least 50 cuttings of the plant over the last year to local customers.    

    When asked where he got the ability to get plants to grow so well, he replied “It’s always been in me, even as a youngster, digging in the dirt.  My daddy made sure we all worked in the garden, and I learned to love it.” 

     Some of the many flowering plants appearing in the Raintree Court courtyard are: Ixora, Desert Rose, Yucca, Apostles Iris, Red Powderpuff Tree, Cape Jasmine Gardenias, Frangipani, Bleeding Heart Vine, White Bird of Paradise, White Ginger, Angel Trumpet, and colorful Bougainvillea.  In addition, there are Wild Coffee plants, Schefflera, Coconut Palms, (one tree towers over 40 feet in the air), two palms in pots rescued from the St. John Car Rental lot when the new building was built, Foxtail Palms, a Ponytail Palm, a Hawaiian Ti plant, a Star Burst, Hibiscus, Banana trees, and Wild Cotton trees which were there when Raintree was first built. A pond, built by owner Lonnie Willis many years ago, also sports miniature water lilies, and Water Hibiscus.

     Another interesting piece of beauty in the Courtyard is a mural by Mary Blazine and Les Anderson, which depicts a beach scene of a girl who has lost her bathing suit top to a pelican flying away in the distance.  The mural seems to seamlessly blend in with all the trees and flowers which Craig has planted.
    Anyone who visits the Fish Trap and experiences the Raintree Court garden can tell that Craig is passionate about plants.  “The garden is my therapy,” he says.  “It gives me peace and patience.”  Thanks to Craig, everyone can experience a little peace and patience when they come to eat at the Fish Trap Restaurant.

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