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##£§£^\~,¨            \   blue fire   \             ¨,~\^£§£##
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§§§£\,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,\£§§§
##£§£^\~,¨  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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