§¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§ ¨§¨¨¨§§¨¨¨
¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§ ¨¨§¨¨§§§¨¨
¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨§ ¨¨¨§¨§¨§§¨
¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨§ §¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§
§¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§ §§¨¨¨¨¨§¨§
§§¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~ §§§¨¨¨¨¨¨§
¨§§¨¨¨§¨¨¨ $$ $$ §¨§§¨¨¨¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨¨§¨¨ = 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. ¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨§
¨§§¨¨¨§§§¨ §¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§
¨§§§¨¨§¨§§ §§¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨¨§§ ¨§§¨¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§§¨¨§¨ ¨§§§¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨ ¨§¨§§¨¨¨§¨