.~«^%¤####                                          ####¤%^«~.
.~«^†%¤###                                          ###¤%†^«~.
......«††¤                                          ¤††«......
.~«^†%¤###                                          ###¤%†^«~.
.~«^†%¤###                                          ###¤%†^«~.
..~~^†††%#               «««««««««««                #%†††^~~..
......«††¤             ††           ††              ¤††«......
..~~«««^†¤            ^   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.           ###¤%†^«~.
...~~^††%#                                          #%††^~~...
.~«^†%¤###                                          ###¤%†^«~.
...««^†%%¤                                          ¤%%†^««...
.~«^†%¤###                                          ###¤%†^«~.
.~«^†%¤###                                          ###¤%†^«~.