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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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