¨,»^†§¤@## ##@¤§†^»,¨
¨,»^†§¤@## ##@¤§†^»,¨
¨,,,,,»^§¤ ¤§^»,,,,,¨
¨,»^†§¤@@@ @@@¤§†^»,¨
¨,»^†††§@@ @@§†††^»,¨
¨¨¨,»^^§@@ »»»»»»»»»»» @@§^^»,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,^††§@ †† †† @§††^,¨¨¨¨
¨,»^†§¤@## ^ 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. ##@¤§†^»,¨
¨¨¨,,^§§¤@ @¤§§^,,¨¨¨
¨,»^†§@### ###@§†^»,¨
¨,»»»††§¤¤ ¤¤§††»»»,¨
¨,»^§¤@### ###@¤§^»,¨
¨,»^†§¤@## ##@¤§†^»,¨