.....«=*&§                                          §&*=«.....
......«=*&                                          &*=«......
.......«=*                                          *=«.......
........«=                                          =«........
.........«                                          «.........
........«=                (EQUISETUM)               =«........
.......«=*                                          *=«.......
......«=*&                                          &*=«......
.....«=*&§                                          §&*=«.....
....«=*&§#        ..«=«.. THE PLANT ..«=«..         #§&*=«....
...«=*&§##                                          ##§&*=«...
..«=*&§### THE  EQUISETUM  IS  A  PLANT  MUCH OLDER ###§&*=«..
.«=*&§#### THAN  FERNS,  WHICH  ARE  IN  TURN  MUCH ####§&*=«.
..«=*&§### OLDER THAN  MOST TREES. IT'S LIGHT GREEN ###§&*=«..
...«=*&§## TO  YELLOW  IN  COLOR  AND  IS  SLIGHTLY ##§&*=«...
....«=*&§#               TRANSPARENT.               #§&*=«....
.....«=*&§                                          §&*=«.....
......«=*& THE  PLANT HAS A SPINE. EACH VERTEBRA IS &*=«......
.......«=* STACKED UPON  THE NEXT,  WITH  SPOKELIKE *=«.......
........«= RIBS RADIATING  OUTWARD.  EVEN SO,  IT'S =«........
.........« VERY  LIGHT, BEING HOLLOW. IT'S  ROUGHLY «.........
........«= THE  HEIGHT OF A FOXES TAIL, AND  SHARES =«........
.......«=*            A SIMILAR PLUMAGE.            *=«.......
......«=*&                                          &*=«......
.....«=*&§ IT  LIKES PARTIAL  SHADE  AND VERY  DAMP §&*=«.....
....«=*&§#                   AREAS                  #§&*=«....
...«=*&§##                                          ##§&*=«...
..«=*&§###                                          ###§&*=«..
.«=*&§####                                          ####§&*=«.
..«=*&§###         ..«=«.. IN MAGIC ..«=«..         ###§&*=«..
...«=*&§##                                          ##§&*=«...
....«=*&§# WHEN  A COLONY  NUMBERS HIGH  ENOUGH, IT #§&*=«....
.....«=*&§ SLICES  THE  AIR  IN  THE  FOREST   INTO §&*=«.....
......«=*& SEPARATE PLANES,  A  FEW  CENTIMETERS IN &*=«......
.......«=* HEIGHT.  TIME  CAN  GET  DIFFRACTED   IN *=«.......
........«= THESE,  HITTING  EACH  IN   TURN  IN   A =«........
.........«       SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ANGLE, AND      «.........
........«=         EVENTUALLY SPREAD THIN.          =«........
.......«=*                                          *=«.......
......«=*&                                          &*=«......
.....«=*&§                                          §&*=«.....
....«=*&§#                                          #§&*=«....
...«=*&§##                                          ##§&*=«...