¨:~*%@¤### ###¤@%*~:¨
¨:~*%@¤### ###¤@%*~:¨
¨:~*%@¤### ###¤@%*~:¨
¨::~~~%@@# #@@%~~~::¨
¨:~*%@¤### ###¤@%*~:¨
¨:~***@@@# ~~~~~~~~~~~ #@@@***~:¨
¨:~*%¤#### %% %% ####¤%*~:¨
¨:~*%@¤¤¤# * 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. #¤@%%~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~~**%¤ ¤%**~~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨::~%¤ ¤%~::¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~*%@¤### ###¤@%*~:¨
¨¨¨¨:*%%¤¤ ¤¤%%*:¨¨¨¨
¨:~*%@¤### ###¤@%*~:¨