Hunting for the RARE plants

 I set out on the morning of June 7th to hike to the summit of Buffalo Mountain with the goal to take photos of as many different plants that I could find along the trail edges, identify those plants and determine whether any of them are considered some of the rare species (19 rare plant species exist on Buffalo Mountain).

Weather information provided by "Time and Date": https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/@4749791/historic 

Buffalo Mountain Temperature Yesterday

Maximum temperature yesterday: 88 °F (at 1:55 pm)
Minimum temperature yesterday: 63 °F (at 3:55 am)
Average temperature yesterday: 76 °F

High & Low Weather Summary for the Past Weeks

	Temperature	Humidity	Pressure
High	88 °F (Jun 5, 5:15 pm)	100% (May 24, 10:15 pm)	30.37 "Hg (May 24, 10:15 pm)
Low	48 °F (Jun 3, 5:55 am)	27% (Jun 3, 1:35 pm)	29.93 "Hg (May 30, 4:35 am)
Average	71 °F	67%	30.11 "Hg
* Reported May 24 12:35 pm — Jun 8 12:35 pm, Buffalo Mountain. Weather by CustomWeather, © 2026

It was a nice drive in and I was lucky to snag the last remaining parking spot in the gravel parking lot (10 spaces in total). The air felt thick with humidity but a nice breeze infiltrated the canopy. I hiked up the longer of the 2 trails that head to the summit and took photographs along the way. There was a lush green cover of plants over the ground with the exception of the walking trail, but not many blooming plants.

The summit was wonderful- the views were gorgeous. Pilot Mountain in North Carolina was visible although it seemed to be hazy in that direction- likely the humidity in action. The breeze was much more noticeable at the top. Visitors are asked to not leave the roped trails on the summit in order to protect rare plant and bird species.

On the hike back down, I took the other trail (shorter) to descend back to the parking lot. It was a day for a lot of hikers to bring their dogs along- I passed at least 5 dogs with their humans on the hike. I compiled all the photos I took and identified them using the app "Picture This". Here are the results of this particular foray up the mountain in late spring!

                                            Swamp Rose- perennial, native to the United States

                                        Mountain Laurel - perennial, native to the United States

                                        Black Huckleberry- perennial, native to the United States

                                           Deertongue Grass- perennial, native to the United States

                                        Small Matweed- perennial, native to the United States

                                    Cladoniaceae- lichen, introduced to the United States in 1827

                                        Prairie Willow- perennial, native to the United States

                                        Evening Primrose- perennial, native to the United States

                                    Tall Meadow-Rue- perennial, native to the United States

                                                Fire Pink- perennial, native to the United States

                                    Early Meadow Rue- perennial, native to the United States

                                            Venus' Pride- perennial, native to the United States

                            Common Blue Violet- perennial and annual, native to the United States

                                               Richweed- perennial, native to the United States

                                Purple Flowering Raspberry- perennial, native to the United States
                            

                                    Longstyle Sweetroot- perennial, native to the United States

                                        White Snakeroot- perennial, native to the United States

                                            Calico Aster- perennial, native to the United States

A Google search provided the current list of rare plant species found at Buffalo Mountain. These plants include:

Three-toothed cinquefoil (Sibbaldia tridentata) - A low-growing perennial that thrives on the wind-swept, rocky summit. [1, 2, 3]

Mountain sandwort (Minuartia groenlandica) - Another delicate white-flowered plant living on the treeless, high-elevation balds. [1, 2]

Large-leaved grass-of-Parnassus (Parnassia grandifolia) - A globally rare wildflower found in the magnesium-rich groundwater seeps near the southern base. [1]

Bog bluegrass (Poa paludigena) - A rare grass species also found in the wet, boggy seeps. [1]

Stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida var. rigida) - A brilliant, seldom-seen wildflower found in the lower cedar glades. [1]

Purple blazing-star (Liatris spicata) - A dazzling native wildflower blooming in the open prairie-like glades. [1]

Alder-leafed buckthorn (Rhamnus alnifolia) - Protected within the preserve's unique seep and forest habitats. [1]

Gyandotte Beauty (Synandra hispidula) and Eastern Blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia verna) - Species occasionally documented in the rich, concave cove forests. [1, 2]

I did not find any of the above listed plants. My goal next is to reach out to Ryan Klopf, Mountain Region Supervisor and ask questions about the last time a plants survey was conducted, how often they are conducted, and if there are any other access points to the area I would be able to use to try and find/identify plants, as long as I follow any strict rules and guidelines provided. His information from the DCR website is below.

Ryan Klopf, Mountain Region Supervisor
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Division of Natural Heritage
Roanoke, VA
540-265-5234

I am already looking forward to another venture to the summit!