This natural community grows on unstable sandy or rocky bars and banks along the shores of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. Frequent flooding rearranges the sediment that supports the plants, so the location of this community can shift regularly. To see rocky bars, some of which host the Rocky Bar and Shore – Water-willow Type, look upstream from the historic intake arches on Virginius Island, or look at the river from the Appalachian Trail as it goes over the Highway 340 bridge. On the interactive map of Harpers Ferry NHP, this natural community is grouped with four other similar communities, under the name “Herbaceous Depositional Bar Complex.” These five communities are mapped together because individually they may exist in patches smaller than the scale used for this map and/or they may occur together in mosaic fashion.

Learn more about the Herbaceous Depositional Bar Complex.

The map below illustrates a good place to see an example of the Herbaceous Depositional Bar Complex along the Virginius Island Trail. It may not be an example of the Rocky Bar and Shore – Water-willow Type.

Map tip: To find this location, go to the interactive map of Harpers Ferry NHP and search for "good places."