,,~~~†††§§                                          §§†††~~~,,
,,~*†£§¶@#                                          #@¶§£†*~,,
,,~*†§¶@##                                          ##@¶§†*~,,
,,~*†£§¶##                                          ##¶§£†*~,,
,,,,,~~†£¶                                          ¶£†~~,,,,,
,,~*††££¶¶               ~~~~~~~~~~~                ¶¶££††*~,,
,,~*†£§¶@#             ††           ††              #@¶§£†*~,,
,,~*†£§¶@#             *   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.           ¶¶£*,,,,,,
,,~***†£§¶                                          ¶§£†***~,,
,,,,,,,~†§                                          §†~,,,,,,,
,,~**†£§§¶                                          ¶§§£†**~,,
,,,,,~†££§                                          §££†~,,,,,
,,~*†£§¶@#                                          #@¶§£†*~,,