#£##%*†~:,                                          ,:~†*%##£#
£#%%*~~,,,                                          ,,,~~*%%#£
##£#%*†~:,                                          ,:~†*%#£##
£##*~:,,,,                                          ,,,,:~*##£
£%**~:,,,,                                          ,,,,:~**%£
##£#%*†~:,               ~~~~~~~~~~~                ,:~†*%#£##
££%*†:,,,,             **           **              ,,,,:†*%££
##£#%*†~:,            †   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.           ,:~†***%£#
#***~,,,,,                                          ,,,,,~***#
##£#%*†~:,                                          ,:~†*%#£##
£££#%*†~:,                                          ,:~†*%#£££
#*†~::,,,,                                          ,,,,::~†*#
##£#%*†~:,                                          ,:~†*%#£##