Ålö

Just south of Utö is Ålö, which has a very varied nature. Here you will find everything from open pastures and lush hazel groves around Byviken, to species-rich limestone mountains, wild, boulder-rich coniferous forests and shallow sandy beaches with the whitest sand. Ålö is protected as a nature reserve and is managed by the Archipelago Foundation with the aim of preserving an archipelago area with high natural values and which is important for outdoor life. The wildlife on Ålö is rich and you often meet deer, hare, moose, badger and fox. There are also stretches of ancient limestone here, which have given rise to a peculiarly species-rich vegetation consisting of, among other things, axveronica, Adam and Eve and under-violet. On the stunningly beautiful sandy beach of Storsand, unusual plants grow such as wrack, sand reed, sand sedge and marjoram.