#@#§£†*~.,                                          ,.~*†£§#@#
@@#§£†*~.,                                          ,.~*†£§#@@
#§££**...,                                          ,...**££§#
#@#§£†*~.,                                          ,.~*†£§#@#
#@#§£†*~.,                                          ,.~*†£§#@#
#@#§£†*~.,                ~~~~~~~~~~~               ,.~*†£§#@#
#§†~~~~,,,              ††           ††             ,,,~~~~†§#
@@#§£†*~.,             *   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.           ,.~*†£§@##
§§†***~~.,                                          ,.~~***†§§
#@#§£†*~.,                                          ,.~*†£§#@#
@§†~~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~~†§@
§§†*...,,,                                          ,,,...*†§§
@@#§£†*~.,                                          ,.~*†£§#@@