###£=^~:..                                          ..:~^=£###
##£=^~:...                                          ...:~^=£##
#£=^~:....                                          ....:~^=£#
£=^~:.....                                          .....:~^=£
=^~:......                                          ......:~^=
^~:.......                (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.          .......:~^
~:........                                          ........:~
:.........                                          .........:
~:........                                          ........:~
^~:.......                                          .......:~^
=^~:......                                          ......:~^=