##@¤£†\«:.                                          .:«\†£¤@##
##@¤£†\«:.                                          .:«\†£¤@##
@£\::.....                                          .....::\£@
#@¤££†\«:.                                          .:«\†££¤@#
¤¤†«««:...                                          ...:«««†¤¤
##@¤£†\«:.               «««««««««««                .:«\†£¤@##
@£\\«.....              ††           ††             .....«\\£@
#@£££†\«:.             \   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.           .:«\†££¤¤¤
##@¤£†\«:.                                          .:«\†£¤@##
##@¤£†\«:.                                          .:«\†£¤@##
##@¤£†\«:.                                          .:«\†£¤@##
#@£££†\«:.                                          .:«\†£££@#
###¤£†\«:.                                          .:«\†£¤###