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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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