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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. ¨¨:~=†£&@#
##@&£†=~:¨ ¨:~=†£&@##
#@&£†=~:¨¨ ¨¨:~=†£&@#
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