Neptune's fields (Swedish: ''Neptuni åkrar'') is a nature reserve in the north of the island of
Öland, Sweden. Located in
Borgholm Municipality along the
Kalmar Strait, north of the village of
Byxelkrok, it consists of a long stretch of
cobble beach
Cobble may refer to:
* Cobble (geology), a designation of particle size for sediment or clastic rock
* Cobblestone, partially rounded rocks used for road paving
* Hammerstone, a prehistoric stone tool
* Tyringham Cobble, a nature reserve in Tyring ...
covered with
Echium vulgare which blossoms in June and July, coloring the entire area blue. The cobble stones result from stones left during the last ice age that eroded through the action of the waves, and they are interspersed with fossils from
Trilobites and
Brachiopods.
The place is a well-known tourist attraction. It was named by
Carl Linnaeus, who visited the place on his 1741 journey to the island.
Tumulus and gravefield
Just south of the Neptune's fields is the ''Forgalla Skepp'', a
Bronze Age ship shaped
tumulus,
and a grave field. The latter measures and contains 32 small stone circles, nine
cists, twelve round
cairn
A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, cà rn (plural ).
Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...
s, and one in the shape of a three pointed star (''treudd'').
A bit further south, just a kilometer north of
Byxelkrok, is ''
Höga Flisa''
(the Tall Shard), a high limestone.
References
External links
Area entryat
Swedish National Heritage Board
The Swedish National Heritage Board ( sv, Riksantikvarieämbetet; RAÄ) is a Swedish government agency responsible for World Heritage Sites and other national heritage monuments and historical environments. It is governed by the Ministry of Cult ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neptune's fields
Nature reserves in Sweden
Öland