.....^~\*%                                          %*\~^.....
......^~\*                                          *\~^......
.......^~\                                          \~^.......
........^~                                          ~^........
.........^                                          ^.........
..........               (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.          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
.........^                                          ^.........
........^~                                          ~^........
.......^~\                                          \~^.......