,,,,,&,,,&                                          &&&,,,,,,,
&&&&,,,&,,                                          ,&,,&&&&&&
&&&,,&,,,,                                          ,,,,,&&&&&
&&,,,,,&&&                                          &&&&,,&&&&
&,,&&&,,&,                                          &&&,,,,&&&
,,,,&,,,,,                (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.         ,,,,,&&&,,
,&&,,,,&&,                                          &&&&,,&,,,
,,,,&&,,,,                                          &&&,,,,,&&
,&&,,,,&&&                                          &&,,&&&,,,
,,,,&&,,&&                                          &,,,,&,,&&
,&&,,,,,,&                                          ,,&&,,,,,,