##@@%%:~~. .~~:%%@@##
#@@%%:~~.. ..~~:%%@@#
@@%%:~~... ...~~:%%@@
@%%:~~.... ....~~:%%@
%%:~~..... .....~~:%%
%:~~...... (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. ....~~:%%@
@@%%:~~... ...~~:%%@@
#@@%%:~~.. ..~~:%%@@#
##@@%%:~~. .~~:%%@@##
#@@%%:~~.. ..~~:%%@@#
@@%%:~~... ...~~:%%@@