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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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