Lilla Karlsö 2.45

Lilla Karlsö is a small Swedish island in the Baltic Sea, situated about 3km off the west coast of Gotland and 4.5km from Stora Karlsö; it is part of Eksta socken. It has an area of about 1.6km2 and is 66m high. Most of the island consists of a limestone plateau. Parts of the shoreline is bordered by steep cliffs. The island is mostly covered by alvar. There is also some very old broadleaf forest, which is unique for Gotland. There are several caves and up to 16m high limestone pillars.The island is mostly known for its rich birdlife and flora. There are colonies of several thousands pairs of guillemot and razorbill. There are also several very rare plants for Sweden such as Lactuca quercina (called 'Karlsösallat' in Swedish), hart's-tongue fern and Petrorhagia prolifera.Since 1954, the island has been owned by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation and it is now a nature reserve. During summer there are tour boats from Djupvik 15km south of Klintehamn.