..:-^%@&##                                          ##&@%^-:..
.:-^%@&###                                          ###&@%^-:.
..:-^%@&##                                          ##&@%^-:..
...:-^%@&#                                          #&@%^-:...
....:-^%@&                                          &@%^-:....
.....:-^%@                (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.          ###&@%^-:.
..:-^%@&##                                          ##&@%^-:..
...:-^%@&#                                          #&@%^-:...
....:-^%@&                                          &@%^-:....
.....:-^%@                                          @%^-:.....
......:-^%                                          %^-:......