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