¤$^†~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~†^$¤
£¤$^†~^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^~†^$¤£
#£¤$^†~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~†^$¤£#
##£¤$^†~^¨                                          ¨^~†^$¤£##
#£¤$^†~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~†^$¤£#
£¤$^†~^¨¨¨                ~~~~~~~~~~~               ¨¨¨^~†^$¤£
¤$^†~^¨¨¨¨              ^^           ^^             ¨¨¨¨^~†^$¤
$^†~^¨¨¨¨¨             †   blue fire   †            ¨¨¨¨¨^~†^$
¤$^†~^¨¨¨¨             ^^           ^^              ¨¨¨¨^~†^$¤
£¤$^†~^¨¨¨               ~~~~~~~~~~~                ¨¨¨^~†^$¤£
#£¤$^†~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~†^$¤£#
##£¤$^†~^¨  the ¨blue fire¨ is a carnivorous plant  ¨^~†^$¤£##
#£¤$^†~^¨¨  living mostly at the western alvar (but ¨¨^~†^$¤£#
£¤$^†~^¨¨¨   it has spread to a few other places,   ¨¨¨^~†^$¤£
¤$^†~^¨¨¨¨           mostly rocky coasts).          ¨¨¨¨^~†^$¤
$^†~^¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨^~†^$
¤$^†~^¨¨¨¨      the plant is a dense network of     ¨¨¨¨^~†^$¤
£¤$^†~^¨¨¨  green-brown tentacle-like roots, which  ¨¨¨^~†^$¤£
#£¤$^†~^¨¨    is often called "rat's tail" before   ¨¨^~†^$¤£#
##£¤$^†~^¨    blooming. in late june, it quickly    ¨^~†^$¤£##
#£¤$^†~^¨¨      sprouts feelers, ten to thirty      ¨¨^~†^$¤£#
£¤$^†~^¨¨¨   centimeters high, filled with purple   ¨¨¨^~†^$¤£
¤$^†~^¨¨¨¨   hairs - this is the blue fire. this    ¨¨¨¨^~†^$¤
$^†~^¨¨¨¨¨     stage lasts for one or two weeks,    ¨¨¨¨¨^~†^$
¤$^†~^¨¨¨¨     depending on food access, water,     ¨¨¨¨^~†^$¤
£¤$^†~^¨¨¨                 climate.                 ¨¨¨^~†^$¤£
#£¤$^†~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~†^$¤£#
##£¤$^†~^¨  often it's not clear how far the plant  ¨^~†^$¤£##
#£¤$^†~^¨¨     has spread unless its in the fire    ¨¨^~†^$¤£#
£¤$^†~^¨¨¨ stage. suddenly, as if overnight, whole  ¨¨¨^~†^$¤£
¤$^†~^¨¨¨¨  fields can be turned ablaze (with the   ¨¨¨¨^~†^$¤
$^†~^¨¨¨¨¨  same individual plant, as well)! in the ¨¨¨¨¨^~†^$
¤$^†~^¨¨¨¨ blooming peak, it's not unusual for the  ¨¨¨¨^~†^$¤
£¤$^†~^¨¨¨ whole alvar to be connected north-south. ¨¨¨^~†^$¤£
#£¤$^†~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~†^$¤£#
##£¤$^†~^¨               †^^~~~~~^^†                ¨^~†^$¤£##
#£¤$^†~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~†^$¤£#
£¤$^†~^¨¨¨   fifty weeks of the year, while in rat  ¨¨¨^~†^$¤£
¤$^†~^¨¨¨¨  stage, the blue fire feeds on the stone ¨¨¨¨^~†^$¤
$^†~^¨¨¨¨¨  itself via a slow chemical attrition.   ¨¨¨¨¨^~†^$
¤$^†~^¨¨¨¨ this is enough to keep the roots alive,  ¨¨¨¨^~†^$¤
£¤$^†~^¨¨¨    but all growth and procreation must   ¨¨¨^~†^$¤£
#£¤$^†~^¨¨   happen during the two weeks in june.   ¨¨^~†^$¤£#
##£¤$^†~^¨                                          ¨^~†^$¤£##
#£¤$^†~^¨¨    now the plant feeds on birds; the     ¨¨^~†^$¤£#
£¤$^†~^¨¨¨  semistiff upright feelers looks like an ¨¨¨^~†^$¤£
¤$^†~^¨¨¨¨    extension of the sea, and birds are   ¨¨¨¨^~†^$¤
$^†~^¨¨¨¨¨  tricked into landing or diving into it. ¨¨¨¨¨^~†^$
¤$^†~^¨¨¨¨    they are quickly paralyzed by the     ¨¨¨¨^~†^$¤
£¤$^†~^¨¨¨      poison on the purple hairs, and     ¨¨¨^~†^$¤£
#£¤$^†~^¨¨     devoured over a period of hours.     ¨¨^~†^$¤£#
##£¤$^†~^¨                                          ¨^~†^$¤£##
#£¤$^†~^¨¨    procreation can happen sexually via   ¨¨^~†^$¤£#
£¤$^†~^¨¨¨  spores (cryptogamia) or asexually when  ¨¨¨^~†^$¤£
¤$^†~^¨¨¨¨      the roots are cut, dividing an      ¨¨¨¨^~†^$¤
$^†~^¨¨¨¨¨           individual into two.           ¨¨¨¨¨^~†^$
¤$^†~^¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨^~†^$¤
£¤$^†~^¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨^~†^$¤£
#£¤$^†~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~†^$¤£#
##£¤$^†~^¨                                          ¨^~†^$¤£##
#£¤$^†~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~†^$¤£#