=«~.......                                          .......~«=
%=«~......                                          ......~«=%
&%=«~.....                                          .....~«=%&
@&%=«~....                                          ....~«=%&@
#@&%=«~...                                          ...~«=%&@#
##@&%=«~..               (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.          ..~«=%&@##
###@&%=«~.                                          .~«=%&@###
##@&%=«~..                                          ..~«=%&@##
#@&%=«~...                                          ...~«=%&@#
@&%=«~....                                          ....~«=%&@
&%=«~.....                                          .....~«=%&