##£§@†;«,¨                                          ¨,«;†@§£##
§@††;,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,;††@§
£§†«,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,«†§£
§@†«,,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,,«†@§
##£§@†;«,¨                                          ¨,«;†@§£##
£@@;,,¨¨¨¨                «««««««««««               ¨¨¨¨,,;@@£
##£§@†;«,¨              ††           ††             ¨,«;†@§£##
##£§@†;«,¨            ;   blue fire   ;             ¨,«;†@§£##
£@†«¨¨¨¨¨¨             ††           ††              ¨¨¨¨¨¨«†@£
###§@†;«,¨                «««««««««««               ¨,«;†@§###
##£§@†;«,¨                                          ¨,«;†@§£##
###§@†;«,¨  the ¨blue fire¨ is a carnivorous plant  ¨,«;†@§###
###£§@;«,¨ living mostly at the western alvar (but  ¨,«;@§£###
££@††;«¨¨¨   it has spread to a few other places,   ¨¨¨«;††@££
##£§@†;«,¨          mostly rocky coasts).           ¨,«;†@§£##
£§†;;«««,¨                                          ¨,«««;;†§£
£§@@††;«,¨     the plant is a dense network of      ¨,«;††@@§£
##£§@†;«,¨  green-brown tentacle-like roots, which  ¨,«;†@§£##
###§@†;«,¨   is often called "rat's tail" before    ¨,«;†@§###
§†††††;«,¨    blooming. in late june, it quickly    ¨,«;†††††§
##£§@†;«,¨      sprouts feelers, ten to thirty      ¨,«;†@§£##
###£@†;«,¨   centimeters high, filled with purple   ¨,«;†@£###
##£§@†;«,¨    hairs - this is the blue fire. this   ¨,«;†@§£##
£§@†††;«,¨    stage lasts for one or two weeks,     ¨,«;†††@§£
###£§@†«,¨     depending on food access, water,     ¨,«†@§£###
##£§@†;«,¨                 climate.                 ¨,«;†@§£##
##£§@†;«,¨                                          ¨,«;†@§£##
§†«¨¨¨¨¨¨¨  often it's not clear how far the plant  ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨«†§
§§§@@†;«,¨     has spread unless its in the fire    ¨,«;†@@§§§
£@;,,¨¨¨¨¨ stage. suddenly, as if overnight, whole  ¨¨¨¨¨,,;@£
#£@†«,¨¨¨¨   fields can be turned ablaze (with the  ¨¨¨¨,«†@£#
##£§@†;«,¨ same individual plant, as well)! in the  ¨,«;†@§£##
§†«««,,,,¨ blooming peak, it's not unusual for the  ¨,,,,«««†§
##£§@†;«,¨ whole alvar to be connected north-south. ¨,«;†@§£##
£§†;,¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨,;†§£
##£§@†;«,¨               ;††«««««††;                ¨,«;†@§£##
##£§@†;«,¨                                          ¨,«;†@§£##
#§††«¨¨¨¨¨   fifty weeks of the year, while in rat  ¨¨¨¨¨«††§#
§††«¨¨¨¨¨¨  stage, the blue fire feeds on the stone ¨¨¨¨¨¨«††§
££@†;««¨¨¨  itself via a slow chemical attrition.   ¨¨¨««;†@££
##£§@†;«,¨  this is enough to keep the roots alive, ¨,«;†@§£##
##£§@†;«,¨   but all growth and procreation must    ¨,«;†@§£##
##£§@†;«,¨   happen during the two weeks in june.   ¨,«;†@§£##
£§@@;;«¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨«;;@@§£
##£§@†;«,¨     now the plant feeds on birds; the    ¨,«;†@§£##
§@††«¨¨¨¨¨  semistiff upright feelers looks like an ¨¨¨¨¨«††@§
£@;,¨¨¨¨¨¨    extension of the sea, and birds are   ¨¨¨¨¨¨,;@£
##£§@†;«,¨  tricked into landing or diving into it. ¨,«;†@§£##
§§@†;«,,¨¨     they are quickly paralyzed by the    ¨¨,,«;†@§§
§@;««¨¨¨¨¨      poison on the purple hairs, and     ¨¨¨¨¨««;@§
##£§@†;«,¨     devoured over a period of hours.     ¨,«;†@§£##
##£§@†;«,¨                                          ¨,«;†@§£##
£@@†;«¨¨¨¨    procreation can happen sexually via   ¨¨¨¨«;†@@£
##£§@†;«,¨  spores (cryptogamia) or asexually when  ¨,«;†@§£##
§†††;,¨¨¨¨      the roots are cut, dividing an      ¨¨¨¨,;†††§
£§†;,¨¨¨¨¨           individual into two.           ¨¨¨¨¨,;†§£
##£§@†;«,¨                                          ¨,«;†@§£##
#£@†«,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,«†@£#
###£§†;«,¨                                          ¨,«;†§£###
##£§@†;«,¨                                          ¨,«;†@§£##
##£§@†;«,¨                                          ¨,«;†@§£##