¨¨§§¨¨§§¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨§§§¨¨¨
¨§¨§¨§¨§¨§                                          ¨¨¨§¨¨§¨¨¨
§§§§§§§§§§                                          ¨¨§§¨§§¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§                                          ¨§¨§§¨§¨¨§
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§§                                          §§§¨§§§¨§§
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨§¨§                ===========               ¨¨§§¨¨§§¨§
¨¨¨¨¨¨§§§§             ††           ††              ¨§¨§¨§¨§§§
¨¨¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨            ;   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.           §¨§§¨¨§¨§¨
§¨¨¨¨§§§¨§                                          §§¨§¨§§§§§
§¨¨¨§¨¨§§¨                                          ¨§§§§¨¨¨¨¨
§¨¨§§¨§¨§¨                                          §¨¨¨§¨¨¨¨§
§¨§¨§§§§§¨                                          §¨¨§§¨¨¨§¨
§§§§¨¨¨¨§§                                          §¨§¨§¨¨§§§