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@@#§£%†«,¨                                          ¨,«†%£§#@@
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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. ¨,«†%£§#@#
§%††«¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨«††%§
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#@#§£%†«,¨                                          ¨,«†%£§#@#
###§£%†«,¨  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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§§£%†««,¨¨                                          ¨¨,««†%£§§
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