....^~:=%@                                          @%=:~^....
.....^~:=%                                          %=:~^.....
......^~:=                                          =:~^......
.....^~:=%                                          %=:~^.....
....^~:=%@                                          @%=:~^....
...^~:=%@#               (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.          ###@%=:~^.
..^~:=%@##                                          ##@%=:~^..
...^~:=%@#                                          #@%=:~^...
....^~:=%@                                          @%=:~^....
.....^~:=%                                          %=:~^.....
......^~:=                                          =:~^......