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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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