.:«::†¤££@                                          @££¤†::«:.
...:«†¤¤£@                                          @£¤¤†«:...
...«««::¤£                                          £¤::«««...
.:«:†£#@##                                          ##@#£†:«:.
.:«:†¤£#@@                                          @@#£¤†:«:.
....::«†£@                «««««««««««               @£†«::....
.:«:†¤£#@@              ††           ††             @@#£¤†:«:.
....::††£#            :   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.           #£†:::....
.:«:†¤£#@#                                          #@#£¤†:«:.
.....::†£#                                          #£†::.....
.:«:†††¤#@                                          @#¤†††:«:.
.::«::¤¤#@                                          @#¤¤::«::.
.....:::¤#                                          #¤:::.....