¨¨^«/^¤£@#                                          #@£¤^/«^¨¨
¨^«/^¤£@##                                          ##@£¤^/«^¨
¨¨^«/^¤£@#                                          #@£¤^/«^¨¨
¨¨¨^«/^¤£@                                          @£¤^/«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«/^¤£                                          £¤^/«^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^«/^¤               «««««««««««                ¤^/«^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^«/^              ^^           ^^             ^/«^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^«/             /   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.           @£¤^/«^¨¨¨
¨¨^«/^¤£@#                                          #@£¤^/«^¨¨
¨^«/^¤£@##                                          ##@£¤^/«^¨
¨¨^«/^¤£@#                                          #@£¤^/«^¨¨
¨¨¨^«/^¤£@                                          @£¤^/«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^«/^¤£                                          £¤^/«^¨¨¨¨