¨¨§¨¨§§¨§§                                          §§¨§§§§¨¨¨
¨¨§§¨§¨§§¨                                          ¨¨§§¨¨¨§¨¨
¨¨§¨§§§§¨§                                          §¨§¨§¨¨§§¨
¨¨§§§¨¨¨§§                                          §§§§§§¨§¨§
§¨§¨¨§¨¨§¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§§
¨§§§¨§§¨§§                »»»»»»»»»»»               §¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨
¨§¨¨§§¨§§¨              %%           %%             §§¨¨¨¨§§¨¨
¨§§¨§¨§§¨§             :   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.           §§¨¨¨§§§§§
§¨§§§§§§§§                                          §¨§¨¨§¨¨¨¨
§§§¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨§§§¨§§¨¨¨
§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          §§¨¨§§¨§¨¨
§§¨§§¨¨¨¨¨                                          §¨§¨§¨§§§¨
§¨§§¨§¨¨¨¨                                          ¨§§§§§§¨¨§