...&&.&.&. ..&..&&...
...&.&&&&& &.&&.&.&..
...&&&.... &&&.&&&&&.
...&..&... &..&&....&
&..&&.&&.. .&.&.&...&
.&.&.&&.&. (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. ..&&&..&..
...&.&.&&& ..&..&.&&.
...&&&&&.. &.&&.&&&.&
&..&....&. &&&.&&..&&
.&.&&...&& &..&&.&.&.
.&&&.&..&. .&.&.&&&&&