@£§&†=-~,,                                          ,,~-=†&§£@
#@£§&†=-~,                                          ,~-=†&§£@#
@£§&†=-~,,                                          ,,~-=†&§£@
£§&†=-~,,,                                          ,,,~-=†&§£
@£§&†=-~,,                                          ,,~-=†&§£@
#@£§&†=-~,                -----------               ,~-=†&§£@#
@£§&†=-~,,              ††           ††             ,,~-=†&§£@
£§&†=-~,,,             =   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.           ,,,~-=†&§£
@£§&†=-~,,                                          ,,~-=†&§£@
#@£§&†=-~,                                          ,~-=†&§£@#
@£§&†=-~,,                                          ,,~-=†&§£@
£§&†=-~,,,                                          ,,,~-=†&§£
@£§&†=-~,,                                          ,,~-=†&§£@