¶§£†\«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«\†£§¶
@¶§£†\«,¨¨ ¨¨,«\†£§¶@
#@¶§£†\«,¨ ¨,«\†£§¶@#
@¶§£†\«,¨¨ ¨¨,«\†£§¶@
¶§£†\«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«\†£§¶
§£†\«,¨¨¨¨ ««««««««««« ¨¨¨¨,«\†£§
£†\«,¨¨¨¨¨ †† †† ¨¨¨¨¨,«\†£
†\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ \ 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\†
\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
\«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«\