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£,£,£,£,££  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.           £,,£,££,£,
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