| Wildfire can be devastating for humans and wildlife, yet some plant species rely on fire as a vital part of their life cycle. Known as fire followers, those species have evolved to take advantage of landscapes cleared by flames. Take, for example, the fire poppy (Papaver californicum), a delicate orange-red wildflower that emerges almost exclusively after wildfires in California's chaparral and foothills. Its seeds can lie dormant in the soil for decades, waiting for the precise combination of heat, smoke, and mineral-rich ash that only fire provides. When those conditions align, fire poppies bloom briefly and brilliantly, turning barren slopes into living proof that destruction can also bring renewal. But that poppy isn't the only plant to thrive in a fire-ravaged environment; fire followers exist in dry ecosystems around the world, from Australia's savannas to the Mediterranean basin and South Africa's fynbos biome. Fire removes dense vegetation, returns nutrients to the soil in the form of ash, and alters the chemistry of the ground and air in ways that signal it's finally safe to grow. Some fire-following plants respond to heat that cracks open tough seed coats, while others are triggered by compounds found in smoke. In the months after a burn, when competition for growing space lessens and sunlight floods the ground, those plants can suddenly appear in extraordinary numbers, transforming charred land into fields of colorful growth. | 
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