&...&&&..& &&&..&.&&&
.&..&..&.& &..&.&&&..
.&&.&&.&&& &&.&&&..&.
.&.&&.&&.. &.&&..&.&&
&&&&.&&.&. .&&.&.&&&.
&...&&.&&& (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. ..&&....&.
&..&.&.... ..&.&...&&
.&.&&&&... &.&&&&..&.
.&&&...&.. .&&...&.&&
&&..&..&&. &&.&..&&&.
&.&.&&.&.& &.&&&.&..&