Over 10,000 occurrences of over 1,900 natural heritage resource elements (i.e. rare plant and animal species populations, significant geological features, and exemplary natural communities) are documented in Virginia. The Natural Heritage Data Explorer (NHDE) includes a searchable Species and Natural Community database that users can query to produce lists of resources that occur in specific counties, watersheds, subwatersheds or physiographic regions. You can search for information on individual or groups of resources, by scientific or common name, taxonomic group, federal or state legal status, and global or state rarity rank.
All searches return formatted lists including the scientific/common names, taxonomic group, global and state heritage rarity ranks, federal legal status under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and Virginia state legal status. Click scientific names to go to NatureServe Explorer for more detailed species information.
NatureServe Explorer is a product of NatureServe, in collaboration with the Natural Heritage Network. A source for conservation information on more than 50,000 plants, animals, and ecological communities of the United States and Canada, NatureServe provides in-depth information on rare and endangered species, as well as common plants and animals.
Click here to access this search functionality on the NHDE site.