#%^^^^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^^^^%#
##%%«^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^«%%##
##%^«««^¨¨ ¨¨^«««^%##
##@#$%^«^¨ ¨^«^%$#@##
###@$%^«^¨ ¨^«^%$@###
#$%«¨¨¨¨¨¨ ««««««««««« ¨¨¨¨¨¨«%$#
##@#$%^«^¨ %% %% ¨^«^%$#@##
#@#%^^^«^¨ ^ 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. ¨^«^%%%%##
##@#$%^«^¨ ¨^«^%$#@##
##@#$%^«^¨ ^%%«««««%%^ ¨^«^%$#@##
#@@#$%^«^¨ ¨^«^%$#@@#
###@#$%«^¨ FIFTY WEEKS OF THE YEAR, WHILE IN RAT ¨^«%$#@###
##@#$%^«^¨ STAGE, THE BLUE FIRE FEEDS ON THE STONE ¨^«^%$#@##
@@##$%^«^¨ ITSELF VIA A SLOW CHEMICAL ATTRITION. ¨^«^%$##@@
#@@#$%^«^¨ THIS IS ENOUGH TO KEEP THE ROOTS ALIVE, ¨^«^%$#@@#
##@#$%^«^¨ BUT ALL GROWTH AND PROCREATION MUST ¨^«^%$#@##
@$%^^^««^¨ HAPPEN DURING THE TWO WEEKS IN JUNE. ¨^««^^^%$@
##@#$%^«^¨ ¨^«^%$#@##
#@$^^^^«^¨ NOW THE PLANT FEEDS ON BIRDS; THE ¨^«^^^^$@#
##@#$%^«^¨ SEMISTIFF UPRIGHT FEELERS LOOKS LIKE AN ¨^«^%$#@##
#$%«^¨¨¨¨¨ EXTENSION OF THE SEA, AND BIRDS ARE ¨¨¨¨¨^«%$#
##@#$%^«^¨ TRICKED INTO LANDING OR DIVING INTO IT. ¨^«^%$#@##
##@#$%^«^¨ THEY ARE QUICKLY PARALYZED BY THE ¨^«^%$#@##
####$%^«^¨ POISON ON THE PURPLE HAIRS, AND ¨^«^%$####
##@#$%^«^¨ DEVOURED OVER A PERIOD OF HOURS. ¨^«^%$#@##
##$^^^^^^¨ ¨^^^^^^$##
@$%«¨¨¨¨¨¨ PROCREATION CAN HAPPEN SEXUALLY VIA ¨¨¨¨¨¨«%$@
#$$^^^¨¨¨¨ SPORES (CRYPTOGAMIA) OR ASEXUALLY WHEN ¨¨¨¨^^^$$#
##@#$%^«^¨ THE ROOTS ARE CUT, DIVIDING AN ¨^«^%$#@##
@$%^^¨¨¨¨¨ INDIVIDUAL INTO TWO. ¨¨¨¨¨^^%$@
##@#$%^«^¨ ¨^«^%$#@##
##@#$%^«^¨ ¨^«^%$#@##
#@#%^^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^^%#@#
##@#$%^«^¨ ¨^«^%$#@##
@#%^^^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^^^%#@