,&&,,&,&&&                                          ,,&,,&&,,&
&&,&,&&&,,                                          &,&&,&,&,&
,,&&&&,,&,                                          ,&&,&&&&&&
&,&,,,&,&&                                          ,&,&&,,,,,
&&&&,,&&&,                                          ,&&&,&,,,,
&,,,&,&,,&               (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.         &,,,&&&&&&
&,,&,&,&&,                                          ,&,,&,,,,,
&&,&&&&&,&                                          &&&,&&,,,,
&,&&,,,,&&                                          &,,&&,&,,,
&&&,&,,,&,                                          ,&,&,&&&,,
&,,&&&,,&&                                          ,&&&&&,,&,