###*†††«:¨                                          ¨:«†††*###
####&*†«:¨                                          ¨:«†*&####
####&*†«:¨                                          ¨:«†*&####
####&*†«:¨                                          ¨:«†*&####
##&*«:¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:«*&##
####&*†«:¨                «««««««««««               ¨:«†*&####
####&*†«:¨             **           **              ¨:«†*&####
###&&*†«:¨            †   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.           ¨:«†*&####
####&*†«:¨                                          ¨:«†*&####
##&†:¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨:†&##
##*†††:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:†††*##
#&*«¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨«*&#
####&*†«:¨                                          ¨:«†*&####