###£&§†~.¨                                          ¨.~†§&£###
#£££&§†~.¨                                          ¨.~†§&£££#
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££££&§†~.¨                                          ¨.~†§&££££
#£§†~~~.¨¨                                          ¨¨.~~~†§£#
£&§†.¨¨¨¨¨                ~~~~~~~~~~~               ¨¨¨¨¨.†§&£
###£&§†~.¨             §§           §§              ¨.~†§&£###
#££§~¨¨¨¨¨            †   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.           ¨¨¨¨¨.†&&#
###£&§†~.¨                                          ¨.~†§&£###
##&†..¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨..†&##
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#&§†.¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨.†§&#