Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve is a Natural Area Preserve

Virginia Natural Area Preserve System

The Virginia Natural Area Preserve System is a system of protected areas in the state of Virginia. It was established in the late 1980s to protect sites that were designated as among the most significant natural areas in the state...

 located in Floyd County, Virginia

Floyd County, Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,874 people, 5,791 households, and 4,157 families residing in the county. The population density was 36 people per square mile . There were 6,763 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...

. It hosts thirteen rare plant occurrences, three rare animal occurrences, and six significant natural communities, all on Buffalo Mountain. The summit is treeless, supporting Three-toothed Cinquefoil and Rocky Mountain woodsia, among other plants; other wildflower

Wildflower

A wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more...

s, such as bog bluegrass and large-leaved grass-of-Parnassus, may be seen elsewhere on the mountain. Buffalo Mountain is also only place in the world where the mealybug

Mealybug

Mealybugs are insects in the family Pseudococcidae, unarmored scale insects found in moist, warm climates. They are considered pests as they feed on plant juices of greenhouse plants, house plants and subtropical trees and also acts as a vector for several plant diseases.-Distribution:Mealybugs...

 Puto kosztarabi is known to live.