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O10 SITE DESCRIPTION Little River Gorge/Little River. Aquatic Habitat several points , massive rock cliffs stand immediately above deep pools and cascades formed as the river courses over wide exposures of bedrock and extensive areas choked with boulders . i ii The vegetation along this gorge s rt from the shade provided by large sycamores , ri no less scen c than the geological features . Apa ver birches and other overhanging riparian trees , the river receives a good deal of sun and supports broad beds of willowherb (Justicia americana) , pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) , and thick submerged streamers of riverweed (Podostemum ceratophyllum) , all of which provide deep green contrasts to the sparkling water playing over the rocks . Throughout the gorge , the vegetation is intact up slope as far as the crest of the bluffs . Since the river runs primarily due east , the slopes differ drastically in terms of their exposure to the sun , and consequently in vegetation . The south-facing slopes are extremely dry and open , supporting thickets of blueberries and stands dominated by chestnut oaks , post oaks , shortleaf pine , and other xeric species . In sharp contrast , * the north-facing slopes immediately opposite support large tangles of mountain laurel and patches of montane species such ' as galax ( Galax aphylla) and wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) . DESCRIPTION OF TBE FAUNA : The high quality waters of the Little River and its two headwater forks support a molluscan fauna that is nearly as rich as that of the Eno or Flat Rivers . A total of eight species have been recorded within the Little River and its two headwater forks (McGrath , 1991 ) ; four of them are state-listed as Threatened . Most of these species have been recorded in the gentler gradients upstream from the gorge , where the habitat consists of extensive pools interspersed between stretches of riffles . Populations of yellow lampmussels (Lampsilis cariosa) , Atlantic pigtoe (Fusconaia masoni) , squawfoot (Strophitus undulates) , notched rainbow ( Villosa constricta) , and two species of elliptios have been recorded in the North and South Forks within Durham County and . a population of triangle floater (Alasmidonta undulates) was discovered just upstream in the Orange County reach of the North Fork (McGrath , 1991 ) . Shells of yellow lampmussels , notched rainbows , and elliptios were also found during this inventory as far downstream as the Little River Gorge , and still more species may be found if a more intensive survey is conducted (the survey by McGrath did not extend below the confluence of the two forks) . In addition to the mussels , 36 species of fish have been recorded within the Little River (Menhinick) , including eight species -- all shiners or darters -- that -are indicators of high quality waters . The most noteworthy species is the mimic shiner (Notropis volucellus) , which has been recorded from only a few sites within the Piedmont . The Roanoke bass (Ambloplites roanokensis) , which is endemic to the Neuse , Tar , and Roanoke drainages , has also been recorded , as have otters (Lutra canadensis) , queen snakes (Regina septemvittata) , and red -bellied watersnakes (Nerodia erythrogaster) , a predominantly Coastal Plain species that may have strayed up into the Little River Reservoir from the Triassic Basin . Eleven species of forest interior , neotropical migrants were recorded on one visit made to the Little River Gorge late in the nesting period (24 June) , given the quality of the forests 214