..~†$§¤###                                          ###¤§$†~..
...~†$§¤##                                          ##¤§$†~...
....~†$§¤#                                          #¤§$†~....
.....~†$§¤                                          ¤§$†~.....
......~†$§                                          §$†~......
.......~†$               ~~~~~~~~~~~                $†~.......
........~†             $$           $$              †~........
.......~†$            †   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.           $†~.......
......~†$§                                          §$†~......
.....~†$§¤                                          ¤§$†~.....
....~†$§¤#                                          #¤§$†~....
...~†$§¤##                                          ##¤§$†~...
..~†$§¤###                                          ###¤§$†~..