Stora Alvaret

Stora Alvaret, the Great Alvar, is a barren limestone terrace covering the southern half of the island of Öland. It is a dagger-shaped expanse almost 40 kilometres long and about 10 wide at its northern end, exceeding 260 square kilometres, the largest such formation in Europe. Almost no soil covers the rock, so the plant life is specialised and low, and the whole plain flowers in a short window in early summer before drying out completely.