###£§§*«^¨ ¨^«*§§£###
##£§§*«^¨¨ ¨¨^«*§§£##
#£§§*«^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^«*§§£#
£§§*«^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^«*§§£
§§*«^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^«*§§
£§§*«^¨¨¨¨ ««««««««««« ¨¨¨¨^«*§§£
#£§§*«^¨¨¨ $$ $$ ¨¨¨^«*§§£#
##£§§*«^¨¨ * 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. ¨¨^«*§§£##
###£§§*«^¨ ¨^«*§§£###
##£§§*«^¨¨ ¨¨^«*§§£##
#£§§*«^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^«*§§£#
£§§*«^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^«*§§£
§§*«^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^«*§§