No matter how many individuals appear in the pages of each edition of Keys Weekly, there are always so many more of our community members who deserve to be recognized. In an effort to shine a spotlight on more of the incredible individuals who live and work in these islands, Keys Weekly is proud to present our Meet Your Neighbors feature, dedicated to celebrating a community member with each issue.
Our neighbor this week is Christopher Rackley, the manager of the nursery at the Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden. He is incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about plants, especially plants native to the Florida Keys and endangered species. In his spare time he loves snorkeling and collecting seashells.
How long have you been in the Keys and what brought you here? I was born and raised here. Been here 22 years.
What is your favorite thing about living in the Keys? I absolutely love the environment down here. It’s like nowhere else on earth. The sunsets over the water are especially gorgeous.
If you could be any tree what would you be and why? Probably a torchwood tree. Their flowers smell great, they support a lot of pollinators and they live in habitats with relatively nice conditions. They’re also my favorite tree, so it’s an easy pick.
What’s the weirdest or funniest app on your phone that no one would expect you to have? I’ve got a lot of really old mobile games that I haven’t played in years. I never delete them, just in case.
If you could design a themed garden based on a book or movie what would it be? Why? It would be awesome to do an “Alice in Wonderland” garden with the weirdest plants I could find. I think a surreal, dreamy sort of garden would be great.
What’s one small thing you would never want to live without? (Not big obvious stuff like a car, house, phone, etc.) Probably my hat. I used to hate wearing them, but because of the Key West sun, I basically never leave without it now.
If you could have lunch with anybody, dead or alive, who would it be and what would you eat? I think it would be fun to chat with Betty White over a cheesecake. She’d probably have some cool stories to tell.
If stranded on a deserted island, or doing one of those “Naked & Afraid” survival shows, what food would you miss the most? Absolutely it would be pumpkin pie.
What is one garden tool you can’t live without? Weirdly, forks. They make it so much easier to separate seedlings from each other.
What is the funniest thing you’ve ever seen on the internet? I love those videos of the pufferfish that follow divers around. I think they’re adorable.
What was in the last Amazon delivery that arrived at your door? It was a couple of candles I ordered as a birthday gift for a friend.
If you could make one law for Key West, what would it be? I’d implement a total ban on planting schefflera and beach naupaka. People don’t understand how invasive those two are.
What’s one thing most people don’t know about you? I’m pretty scared of bears and (most) big dogs. I’m totally cool with sharks and spiders, though.
Know someone who would be good to feature in Meet Your Neighbors? Email keysweeklyjen@gmail.com.
