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###£§†/~~¨ / blue fire / ¨~~/†§£###
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####£§†~~¨ 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. ¨~~/†§####
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