§§¨§¨¨§§¨¨                                          §¨¨§¨¨¨¨§¨
§§¨¨§¨§§§¨                                          §§¨¨§¨¨¨¨¨
§§§¨¨¨§¨§§                                          ¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨¨
§¨§§¨¨¨¨§§                                          ¨§§§¨¨§¨¨¨
¨¨§§§¨¨¨§¨                                          ¨§¨§§¨¨§¨¨
¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨               »»»»»»»»»»»                ¨¨¨§§§¨¨§¨
¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨             ††           ††              ¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨§
§¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨            ^   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.           §¨§§¨¨¨¨§§
§§¨¨§¨¨¨§¨                                          ¨¨§§§¨¨¨§¨
§§§¨¨§¨¨¨§                                          ¨¨§¨§§¨¨¨¨
§¨§§¨¨§¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨
¨¨§§§¨¨§¨¨                                          §¨¨¨§¨§§¨¨
¨¨§¨§§¨¨§¨                                          ¨§¨¨¨¨§§§¨