...##...#.                                          .....#..#.
...###...#                                          #.....#..#
#..#.##...                                          .#.....#..
.#...###..                                          ..#.....#.
..#..#.##.                                          ...#.....#
#..#...###                (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.         ......#.##
#....#....                                          #.......##
##....#...                                          ##......#.
###....#..                                          .##.......
#.##....#.                                          .###......
..###....#                                          .#.##.....