,:~;†&¤¶¶@ @¶¶¤&†;~:,
,,,:;†††¤@ @¤†††;:,,,
,:~;†&¤¤¤@ @¤¤¤&†;~:,
,,,,,~;&¤@ @¤&;~,,,,,
,,,,,~~†¤¶ ¶¤†~~,,,,,
,,,,,~†¤¤@ ~~~~~~~~~~~ @¤¤†~,,,,,
,,:::~;&¶@ †† †† @¶&;~:::,,
,:~;†&¤¶@@ ; 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. #@¶¤&†;~:,
,:~;†&¤¶## ##¶¤&†;~:,
,:~;†&¤¤¤@ @¤¤¤&†;~:,
,:~;†&¤¶@# #@¶¤&†;~:,
,,,~~††¤¤¶ ¶¤¤††~~,,,
,,,,,:;†¤¤ ¤¤†;:,,,,,