¨~\†$£@###                                          ###@£$†\~¨
¨.~\†††£@#                                          #@£†††\~.¨
¨.~\†$$$$£                                          £$$$$†\~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨~†££#                                          #££†~¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~\†$£@##                                          ##@£$†\~.¨
¨¨¨¨~††£@@               ~~~~~~~~~~~                @@£††~¨¨¨¨
¨.~\†$£@##              ††           ††             ##@£$†\~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~†£            \   blue fire   \             £†~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨...\†£             ††           ††              £†\...¨¨¨¨
¨¨..~~††£#                ~~~~~~~~~~~               #£††~~..¨¨
¨.~\†$£@##                                          ##@£$†\~.¨
¨.~\†$£@##  the ¨blue fire¨ is a carnivorous plant  ##@£$†\~.¨
¨.~\†$£@##  living mostly at the western alvar (but ##@£$†\~.¨
¨¨¨.\\\$£@   it has spread to a few other places,   @£$\\\.¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~\††£          mostly rocky coasts).           £††\~¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~\†$££££                                          ££££$†\~.¨
¨.~†$£@###     the plant is a dense network of      ###@£$†~.¨
¨.~\†$£@##  green-brown tentacle-like roots, which  ##@£$†\~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~††£    is often called "rat's tail" before   £††~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨..~\$$@    blooming. in late june, it quickly    @$$\~..¨¨¨
¨.~\†$£@##      sprouts feelers, ten to thirty      ##@£$†\~.¨
¨.~\†$£@##   centimeters high, filled with purple   ##@£$†\~.¨
¨¨¨.~\\†£#   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    £†~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~\†$£@## tricked into landing or diving into it.  ##@£$†\~.¨
¨.~\†$£@@@     they are quickly paralyzed by the    @@@£$†\~.¨
¨.~\†$£@##      poison on the purple hairs, and     ##@£$†\~.¨
¨.~\†$£@##     devoured over a period of hours.     ##@£$†\~.¨
¨¨¨¨.~††££                                          ££††~.¨¨¨¨
¨.~\†$£@##   procreation can happen sexually via    ##@£$†\~.¨
¨.~\†$$££#  spores (cryptogamia) or asexually when  #££$$†\~.¨
¨.~\†$£@@#      the roots are cut, dividing an      #@@£$†\~.¨
¨.~~~††$$£           individual into two.           £$$††~~~.¨
¨.~\†$£@##                                          ##@£$†\~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨~†£@#                                          #@£†~¨¨¨¨¨
¨.~\†$£@##                                          ##@£$†\~.¨
¨¨¨¨¨~†$$£                                          £$$†~¨¨¨¨¨
¨~\†$£@###                                          ###@£$†\~¨