| Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve | |
|---|---|
Near Buffalo Mountain's treeless summit
| |
  Location within Virginia  Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Location | Floyd County, Virginia |
| Coordinates | 36°47′45″N 80°28′37″W / 36.79583°N 80.47694°W / 36.79583; -80.47694 |
| Area | 1,140 acres (4.6 km2) |
| Governing body | Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation |
Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve is a 1,140-acre (4.6 km2) Natural Area PreserveinFloyd County, Virginia.[1]
Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve covers the summit and slopes of Buffalo Mountain, a 3,960-foot (1,210 m) peak in southwest Virginia.[2] It is open to the public and includes a small parking area from which an approximately one-mile-long (1.6 km) trail may be traversed to reach the summit.[1]
The treeless summit is home to rare plant species including three-toothed cinquefoil (Sibbaldia tridentata) and Rocky Mountain woodsia (Woodsia scopulina); other rare plants, such as bog bluegrass (Poa paludigena) and large-leaved grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia grandifolia), are found at seeps along the mountain's base. In total, the preserve protects thirteen rare plant occurrences, three rare animal occurrences, and six significant natural communities.[1] Buffalo Mountain is also the only place in the world where the mealybug Puto kosztarabi is known to live.[3]
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