.......~*$                                          $*~.......
......~*$&                                          &$*~......
.....~*$&&                                          &&$*~.....
....~*$&&@                                          @&&$*~....
...~*$&&@@                                          @@&&$*~...
..~*$&&@@#                (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 ..~*~..         &$*~......
.......~*$                                          $*~.......
........~* WHEN A  COLONY NUMBERS  HIGH ENOUGH,  IT *~........
.........~ SLICES  THE   AIR  IN  THE  FOREST  INTO ~.........
.......... SEPARATE  PLANES, A FEW  CENTIMETERS  IN ..........
.......... HEIGHT.  TIME  CAN   GET  DIFFRACTED  IN ..........
.......... THESE,  HITTING  EACH   IN   TURN  IN  A ..........
..........      SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ANGLE, AND       ..........
..........         EVENTUALLY SPREAD THIN.          ..........
.........~                                          ~.........
........~*                                          *~........
.......~*$                                          $*~.......
......~*$&                                          &$*~......
.....~*$&&                                          &&$*~.....