¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¤ ¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¨¨ ¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¨¨¤ ¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¨¨¨¨¤¤¨¨¨¨ ¤¤¤¨¨¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¤ ¤¤¨¨¨¨¤¤¤¤ ««««««««««« ¤¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¤ ¤¨¨¤¤¨¨¤¤¤ §§ §§ ¤¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¤ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¤¤ † 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. ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤