&†:~...... ......~:†&
###&$†:~~. .~~:†$##
###&$†:~~. .~~:†$##
####$†:~~. .~~:†$####
###&$†:~~. .~~:†$##
###&$†:~~. (EQUISETUM) .~~:†$##
####&†:~~. .~~:†###
##&†††:~~. .~~:†††#
#&$$†:~... ...~:†$$
##&&$†:~~. .~~:~~. THE PLANT .~~:~~. .~~:†$&#
#&†:~..... .....~:†
#&&†~..... 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 ......~~†&
#$†:~~~~~. THESE, HITTING EACH IN TURN IN A .~~~~~:†$#
###&$†:~~. SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ANGLE, AND .~~:†$##
###&$†:~~. EVENTUALLY SPREAD THIN. .~~:†$##
&$$$$†:~~. .~~:†$$$$&
###&$†:~~. .~~:†$##
&†:~...... ......~:†&
###&$†:~~. .~~:†$##
###&$†:~~. .~~:†$##