Southern Blue Ridge Calcareous Shale Woodland – CEGL007720

Virginia's only known occurrence of a Southern Blue Ridge Calcareous Shale Woodland is found at the west end of Straight Mountain above Whitetop Laurel Creek in Washington County.  The steep, rocky slope has extensive areas of exposed, erosive soil with numerous metashale fragments.  The vegetation resembles the ash-hickory woodlands of the Northern Blue Ridge but contains patchy understory thickets of hairy mock orange (Philadelphus hirsutus).  Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, George Washington & Jefferson National Forests.