=^........                                          ........^=
^.........                                          .........^
..........                                          ..........
^.........                                          .........^
=^........                                          ........^=
==^.......               (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.         .........^
..........                                          ..........
^.........                                          .........^
=^........                                          ........^=
==^.......                                          .......^==
$==^......                                          ......^==$