#@£#£*/~^,                                          ,^~/*£#£@#
@@£#£*/~^,                                          ,^~/*£#£@@
@@£#£*/~^,                                          ,^~/*£#£@@
#@£#£*/~^,                                          ,^~/*£#£@#
#@£#£*/~^,                                          ,^~/*£#£@#
@@£#£*/~^,               ~~~~~~~~~~~                ,^~/*£#£@@
#@£#£*/~^,              **           **             ,^~/*£#£@#
#*/^,,,,,,            /   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.           ,^~/*£££££
#££££*/~^,                                          ,^~/*££££#
#*///^^,,,                                          ,,,^^///*#
#*/~~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~~/*#
@££//^,,,,                                          ,,,,^//££@
#@£#£*/~^,                                          ,^~/*£#£@#