....:«*†$&                                          &$†*«:....
...:«*†$&¶                                          ¶&$†*«:...
..:«*†$&¶#                                          #¶&$†*«:..
.:«*†$&¶##                                          ##¶&$†*«:.
..:«*†$&¶#                                          #¶&$†*«:..
...:«*†$&¶               (EQUISETUM)                ¶&$†*«:...
....:«*†$&                                          &$†*«:....
.....:«*†$                                          $†*«:.....
......:«*†                                          †*«:......
.......:«*        .:«*«:. THE PLANT .:«*«:.         *«:.......
........:«                                          «:........
.........: THE  EQUISETUM  IS  A  PLANT  MUCH OLDER :.........
.......... THAN  FERNS,  WHICH  ARE  IN  TURN  MUCH ..........
.......... OLDER THAN  MOST TREES. IT'S LIGHT GREEN ..........
.......... TO  YELLOW  IN  COLOR  AND  IS  SLIGHTLY ..........
.........:               TRANSPARENT.               :.........
........:«                                          «:........
.......:«* THE  PLANT HAS A SPINE. EACH VERTEBRA IS *«:.......
......:«*† STACKED UPON  THE NEXT,  WITH  SPOKELIKE †*«:......
.....:«*†$ 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                   ¶&$†*«:...
....:«*†$&                                          &$†*«:....
.....:«*†$                                          $†*«:.....
......:«*†                                          †*«:......
.......:«*         .:«*«:. IN MAGIC .:«*«:.         *«:.......
........:«                                          «:........
.........: WHEN A  COLONY  NUMBERS HIGH  ENOUGH, IT :.........
.......... SLICES  THE  AIR   IN  THE  FOREST  INTO ..........
.......... SEPARATE  PLANES,  A FEW  CENTIMETERS IN ..........
.......... HEIGHT.  TIME  CAN  GET   DIFFRACTED  IN ..........
.........: THESE,  HITTING  EACH  IN   TURN   IN  A :.........
........:«       SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ANGLE, AND      «:........
.......:«*          EVENTUALLY SPREAD THIN.         *«:.......
......:«*†                                          †*«:......
.....:«*†$                                          $†*«:.....
....:«*†$&                                          &$†*«:....
...:«*†$&¶                                          ¶&$†*«:...
..:«*†$&¶#                                          #¶&$†*«:..