#&**««.... ....««**&#
###&@*;«~. .~«;*@&###
##&**«~... ...~«**&##
#&&&@*;«~. .~«;*@&&&#
&&*««..... .....««*&&
##@;««.... (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. .~«;*@&###
###&@*;«~. .~«;*@&###
#@*;~..... .....~;*@#
###&@*;«~. .~«;*@&###
&@;;;;;«~. .~«;;;;;@&
###&@*;«~. .~«;*@&###