Floyd County, Virginia
Floyd County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,476. Its county seat is the town of Floyd. Floyd County is included in the Blacksburg- Christiansburg, VA Metropolitan Statistical ...
.
Description
Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve covers the summit and slopes of Buffalo Mountain, a peak in southwest Virginia. It is open to the public and includes a small parking area from which an approximately trail may be traversed to reach the summit.
The treeless summit is home to rare plant species including three-toothed cinquefoil (''
Sibbaldia tridentata
''Sibbaldia tridentata'' is a species in the plant family Rosaceae. Its synonyms include the illegitimate name ''Sibbaldia retusa'' and ''Sibbaldiopsis tridentata''. Under the latter name, it has been treated as the only species in the genus ''S ...
'') and Rocky Mountain woodsia (''
Physematium scopulinum
''Physematium scopulinum'', also called ''Woodsia scopulina'', is a deciduous perennial fern in the family Woodsiaceae, with the common name Rocky Mountain Woodsia,.
This plant is native to the western and northern United States and Canada. ''W ...
''); other rare plants, such as bog bluegrass (''
Poa paludigena
''Poa paludigena'' is a species of grass known by the common names bog bluegrass, marsh bluegrass, slender marsh bluegrass, and Patterson's bluegrass. It is native to the northeastern United States.grass-of-Parnassus (''
Parnassia grandifolia
''Parnassia grandifolia'', also known as bigleaf grass of Parnassus, is a flowering herbaceous plant of the family Celastraceae.
It is native to the southeastern United States, where it has a spotty distribution. Its primary habitat is open wet ...
''), are found at
seep
A seep or flush is a moist or wet place where water, usually groundwater, reaches the earth's surface from an underground aquifer.
Description
Seeps are usually not of sufficient volume to be flowing beyond their immediate above-ground location. ...
s along the mountain's base. In total, the preserve protects thirteen rare plant occurrences, three rare animal occurrences, and six significant
natural communities
In ecology, a community is a group or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area at the same time, also known as a biocoenosis, biotic community, biological community, ecological community ...
. Buffalo Mountain is also the only place in the world where the
mealybug
Mealybugs are insects in the family (biology), family Pseudococcidae, unarmored scale insects found in moist, warm habitats. Many species are considered pest (animal), pests as they feed on plant juices of greenhouse plants, house plants and sub ...
List of Virginia Natural Area Preserves
The Virginia Natural Area Preserve System is a system of protected areas in the state of Virginia. It is managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.
, there are sixty-six (66) dedicated preserves in Virginia, containing ex ...