&,,,&,,,&,                                          &&,&&&,,,&
&,,&&,,&&,                                          ,&&,,&,,&,
&,&,&,&,&&                                          &,&,&&,&&&
&&&&&&&&,&                                          &&&&,&&,,,
,,,,,,,&&&                                          ,,,&&,&,,&
,,,,,,&,,,               (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.          &,,&&,&,&,
&,,&,&,&,&                                          &,&,&&&&&,
&,&&&&&&&&                                          &&&&,,,,&&
&&,,,,,,,&                                          ,,,&,,,&,,
,&,,,,,,&&                                          ,,&&,,&&,&
&&,,,,,&,,                                          ,&,&,&,&&&