Purple Bean
The purple bean (Villosa perpurpurea), listed as a federally endangered species in 1997, is extremely rare in Virginia. It is known only from the upper Tennessee River system, where it is normally found in small rivers and headwater streams. The purple bean is found in coarse sand and gravel substrate and also beneath large, flat rocks. It is usually found in less than three feet of water, where currents are moderate to strong. In the Clinch Valley area, it is known from about 110 miles of the Clinch River and a Clinch River tributary, Copper Creek, in Lee, Russell, Scott, and Tazewell counties. The purple bean is presumed to have been extirpated from the Powell River.

Duskytail Darter
The duskytail darter (Etheostoma percnurum) was listed as a federally endangered species in 1993, and is extremely rare in Virginia. It is known only from a few streams in the Cumberland and Tennessee river systems, where it inhabits small to medium sized streams. The duskytail darter is found in areas of slow to moderate current on substrate consisting of gravel, cobble and slabrock. In the Clinch Valley area, duskytail darters are known only from the lower 18 stream miles of Copper Creek, a tributary to the Clinch River in Scott County, VA and possibly from the mainstem Clinch River in the vicinity of Copper Creek.

Canby’s Mountain-Lover
Canby’s mountain-lover (Paxistima canbyi) is not on the federally endangered species list; however, it is very rare in Virginia. This species is generally associated with limestone or dolomitic exposures and with the clays that weather out from them. It usually grows at the edges of exposures where the canopy is thin, or in very open woods. It generally grows on upper portions of the slopes or at the top edges of cliff exposures. It is vulnerable to quarrying, fires, human traffic, and over-collecting by botanists. In the Clinch Valley, Canby’s mountain lover is found in Scott, Russell, and Tazewell counties. Another common name is Cliff Green.

Barrens Silky Aster
Barrens silky aster (Aster pratensis) is not on the federally endangered species list; however, it is considered extremely rare in Virginia. This species has been found at six Russell County sites, extending the known northeastern limit of the species’ range at least 60 miles. This aster is a species of Texas and Louisiana with scattered, disjunct populations in barren, glade, or prairie habitats in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and now Virginia.

Birdwing Pearlymussel
The birdwing pearlymussel (Lemiox rimosus), listed as a federally endangered species in 1976, is extremely rare in Virginia. It is known from the Tennessee River system upstream from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, although extant populations are restricted to only a few isolated localities. Birdwing pearlymussels inhabit the moderate to swift currents of riffles in small to large rivers, where they are found among sand and gravel substrates. In the Clinch Valley, the species is reported from about 165 river miles of the Clinch River in Claiborne and Hancock counties, Tennessee, and Russell, Scott, and Wise counties, Virginia. In the Powell River, it’s known from 45 river miles in Claiborne and Hancock counties, Tennessee, and Lee County, Virginia.

Showy Lady's Slipper
Showy lady’s-slipper (Cypripedium reginae) is listed as a federally endangered species, and is extremely rare in Virginia. It occurs in wet, open areas near the margins of bogs and fens in the mountains. Flowering in this species occurs from May through August, and usually does not survive transplanting. It is vulnerable to collectors and to trampling by visitors. This species is reported to occur in four Virginia counties: Rockingham, Shenandoah, Warren, and Washington. Such a large, spectacular orchid is unlikely to occur elsewhere without yet having been discovered. However, a new population was found in Washington County in the Clinch Valley area in 1989.

Fringed Scorpion-Weed
Fringed scorpion-weed (Phacelia fimbriata) is on the federally threatened species list, and is very rare in Virginia, being found only in Washington, Smyth, and Grayson counties. These Virginia locations are the species’ known northern limit of distribution. It is also found in Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia.

Virginia Big-Eared Bat
The Virginia big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus) was listed as a federally endangered species in 1979, and is extremely rare in Virginia. Although the species is relatively widespread, this subspecies is very restricted, being known only from a few caves in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, and North Carolina. This bat is a colonial species that roosts in caves year-round. In the Clinch and Powell watershed, Virginia big-eared bats are known from three localities in Tazewell County, Virginia. One of these localities is the only known maternity colony for Virginia big-eared bat in Virginia, and another represents one of the largest known hibernacula for this species.

Location of the Clinch Valley Program of the Nature Conservancy