Stora Alvar

The south end of the island of Öland is occupied by the Stora Alvar, a great expanse of steppe country which is aglow with color when the thyme and heather are in bloom; in certain favored spots, too, thousands of orchids flower in spring. A very common flower is the trailing tormentil, but there are also such rare species as the large sand-lily and the little blue globularia. Many plants are protected by law, including the yellow pheasant's-eye which grows on coastal grassland.