#$^«,.....                                          .....,«^$#
##$^«,....                                          ....,«^$##
###$^«,...                                          ...,«^$###
####$^«,..                                          ..,«^$####
#####$^«,.                                          .,«^$#####
####$^«,..                (equisetum)               ..,«^$####
###$^«,...                                          ...,«^$###
##$^«,....                                          ....,«^$##
#$^«,.....                                          .....,«^$#
$^«,......        .,«;«,. the plant .,«;«,.         ......,«^$
^«,.......                                          .......,«^
$^«,...... the equisetum  is  a  plant  much  older ......,«^$
#$^«,..... than  ferns,  which  are  in  turn  much .....,«^$#
##$^«,.... older than most  trees. it's light green ....,«^$##
###$^«,... to  yellow  in  color  and  is  slightly ...,«^$###
####$^«,..               transparent.               ..,«^$####
#####$^«,.                                          .,«^$#####
####$^«,.. the plant has a spine.  each vertebra is ..,«^$####
###$^«,... stacked upon  the  next,  with spokelike ...,«^$###
##$^«,.... ribs  radiating  outward.  even so, it's ....,«^$##
#$^«,..... very light, being hollow.  it's  roughly .....,«^$#
$^«,...... the  height of  a foxes tail, and shares ......,«^$
^«,.......            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 .......,«^
$^«,...... these,  hitting  each   in  turn   in  a ......,«^$
#$^«,.....       slightly different angle, and      .....,«^$#
##$^«,....         eventually spread thin.          ....,«^$##
###$^«,...                                          ...,«^$###
####$^«,..                                          ..,«^$####
#####$^«,.                                          .,«^$#####
####$^«,..                                          ..,«^$####
###$^«,...                                          ...,«^$###