¤¤$;;~^^^¨ ¨^^^~;;$¤¤
###¤@$;~^¨ ¨^~;$@¤###
#@;^¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨^;@#
¤¤@$;;^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^;;$@¤¤
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##@#@$;~^¨ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ¨^~;$@#@##
###¤@$;~^¨ $$ $$ ¨^~;$@¤###
#@#¤@$;~^¨ ; 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 ¨¨¨~;;@@#@
¤$;^^^¨¨¨¨ Devoured Over A Period Of Hours. ¨¨¨¨^^^;$¤
#¤¤¤@$;~^¨ ¨^~;$@¤¤¤#
###¤@$;~^¨ Procreation Can Happen Sexually Via ¨^~;$@¤###
###¤@$;~^¨ Spores (Cryptogamia) Or Asexually When ¨^~;$@¤###
¤¤$$;;^¨¨¨ The Roots Are Cut, Dividing An ¨¨¨^;;$$¤¤
#@#¤@$;~^¨ Individual Into Two. ¨^~;$@¤#@#
##@#¤@$~^¨ ¨^~$@¤#@##
@¤@@$$;~^¨ ¨^~;$$@@¤@
#¤@@;~~~^¨ ¨^~~~;@@¤#
#@#¤@$;~^¨ ¨^~;$@¤#@#
#@#¤@$;~^¨ ¨^~;$@¤#@#