###&&†:«-, ,-«:†&&###
&&&&&†:«-, ,-«:†&&&&&
###&&†:«-, ,-«:†&&###
#&††«,,,,, ,,,,,«††&#
##&::-,,,, ,,,,-::&##
#&&†«-,,,, ««««««««««« ,,,,-«†&&#
###&&†:«-, †† †† ,-«:†&&###
#&&†††:«-, : 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. ,-«:†&&###
###&&†:«-, ,-«:†&&###
###&&†:«-, ,-«:†&&###
##&&&†:«-, ,-«:†&&&##
&&&†:::«-, ,-«:::†&&&
###&&†:«-, ,-«:†&&###