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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. ¨¨¨¨¨¨^-^§
^-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-^
-^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^-
^¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨^
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨