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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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