£#%*\~....                                          ....~\*%#£
#%*\~.....                                          .....~\*%#
%*\~......                                          ......~\*%
*\~.......                                          .......~\*
%*\~......                                          ......~\*%
#%*\~.....                (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.         ...~\*%#£#
##£#%*\~..                                          ..~\*%#£##
#£#%*\~...                                          ...~\*%#£#
£#%*\~....                                          ....~\*%#£
#%*\~.....                                          .....~\*%#
%*\~......                                          ......~\*%