@#$$†-^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^-†$$#@
#$$†-^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^-†$$#
$$†-^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^-†$$
$†-^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^-†$
†-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-†
-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ----------- ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ $$ $$ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ † 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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-
†-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-†
$†-^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^-†$
$$†-^¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨^-†$$
#$$†-^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^-†$$#
@#$$†-^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^-†$$#@