...:«^%%§#                                          #§%%^«:...
....:«^%%§                                          §%%^«:....
.....:«^%%                                          %%^«:.....
......:«^%                                          %^«:......
.......:«^                                          ^«:.......
........:«                (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.          §%%^«:....
.....:«^%%                                          %%^«:.....
......:«^%                                          %^«:......
.......:«^                                          ^«:.......
........:«                                          «:........
.........:                                          :.........