@@££*^/«,,                                          ,,«/^*££@@
#£^^«««,,,                                          ,,,«««^^£#
£**/,,,,,,                                          ,,,,,,/**£
##@£*^/«,,                                          ,,«/^*£@##
###£*^/«,,                                          ,,«/^*£###
£*^/,,,,,,                «««««««««««               ,,,,,,/^*£
##@£*^/«,,              ^^           ^^             ,,«/^*£@##
£*//«,,,,,            /   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.           ,,«/^*£###
#@££*^/«,,                                          ,,«/^*££@#
£^^//,,,,,                                          ,,,,,//^^£
#£^««,,,,,                                          ,,,,,««^£#
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##@£*^/«,,                                          ,,«/^*£@##