#¤*~~,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,~~*¤#
@#¤==**~,¨ ¨,~**==¤#@
#@@#¤=*~,¨ ¨,~*=¤#@@#
@¤¤**,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,**¤¤@
@##=**,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,**=##@
#==***~¨¨¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨¨¨~***==#
@¤=~~~~~,¨ == == ¨,~~~~~=¤@
#==*,¨¨¨¨¨ * 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. ¨¨¨¨¨~~=#@
#@@#¤=*~,¨ ¨,~*=¤#@@#
#@@#¤=*~,¨ ¨,~*=¤#@@#
@#==***~,¨ ¨,~***==#@
#¤=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=¤#
@¤*,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,*¤@