¤¤¤¤¤*†«~¨ ¨~«†*¤¤¤¤¤
###¤¤*†«~¨ ¨~«†*¤¤###
###¤¤*†«~¨ ¨~«†*¤¤###
###¤¤*†«~¨ ¨~«†*¤¤###
##¤***†«~¨ ¨~«†***¤##
¤¤†«¨¨¨¨¨¨ ««««««««««« ¨¨¨¨¨¨«†¤¤
#¤†~~~~¨¨¨ ** ** ¨¨¨~~~~†¤#
##¤¤†«««~¨ † 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. ¨¨¨¨«««*¤#
###¤¤*†«~¨ ¨~«†*¤¤###
#¤¤*«~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~«*¤¤#
###¤¤*†«~¨ ¨~«†*¤¤###
###¤¤*†«~¨ ¨~«†*¤¤###
¤¤¤**«¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨«**¤¤¤