..«^^^*§§§ §§§*^^^«..
....««**$# #$**««....
..«^*$§#@# #@#§$*^«..
.......^$§ §$^.......
..«««**§#@ @#§**«««..
..«^*$$§§@ (EQUISETUM) @§§$$*^«..
..«^*$#@## ##@#$*^«..
..«^*$§#@# #@#§$*^«..
..«^*$§### ###§$*^«..
..«^*$§#@# ..«^«.. THE PLANT ..«^«.. #@#§$*^«..
..«^*§#@## ##@#§*^«..
......«*§# 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. @#$$$*^«..
..«^**$§#@ @#§$**^«..
.....^*$#@ @#$*^.....
.......«*§ §*«.......
...«««**§@ @§**«««...
..«^*$§#@# #@#§$*^«..