¨~-†^$¤###                                          ###¤$^†-~¨
¨¨~-†^$¤##                                          ##¤$^†-~¨¨
¨¨¨~-†^$¤#                                          #¤$^†-~¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨~-†^$¤                                          ¤$^†-~¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~-†^$                                          $^†-~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~-†^                -----------               ^†-~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-†             ^^           ^^              †-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-            †   blue fire   †             -~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~             ^^           ^^              ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-                -----------               -~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-†                                          †-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~-†^  the ¨blue fire¨ is a carnivorous plant  ^†-~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~-†^$ 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   $^†-~¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~-†^  spores (cryptogamia) or asexually when  ^†-~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-†      the roots are cut, dividing an      †-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-           individual into two.           -~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~                                          ~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-                                          -~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~-†                                          †-~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~-†^                                          ^†-~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~-†^$                                          $^†-~¨¨¨¨¨