¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
«:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«
^«:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«^
†^«:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨:«^†
@†^«:¨¨¨¨¨ ««««««««««« ¨¨¨¨¨:«^†@
§@†^«:¨¨¨¨ †† †† ¨¨¨¨:«^†@§
#§@†^«:¨¨¨ ^ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«^
«:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:«
:¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨:
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨