&..&.&&&.& &.&&&&&&&&
&.&&&..&&. &&........
&&..&.&.&. .&.......&
.&.&&&&&&& &&......&.
&&&......& .&.....&&.
..&.....&. (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. &.&..&.&&.
.&&...&.&. &&&.&&&.&.
&.&..&&&&& ..&&..&&&.
&&&.&....& .&.&.&..&&
..&&&...&. &&&&&&.&..
.&..&..&&& .....&&&..