........==                                          ==........
.........=                                          =.........
........==                                          ==........
.......==$                                          $==.......
......==$%                                          %$==......
.....==$%£               ===========                £%$==.....
....==$%£#              $$           $$             #£%$==....
...==$%£##             =   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.           $==.......
........==                                          ==........
.........=                                          =.........
........==                                          ==........
.......==$                                          $==.......
......==$%                                          %$==......