..~:†$§@##                                          ##@§$†:~..
...~:†$§@#                                          #@§$†:~...
....~:†$§@                                          @§$†:~....
.....~:†$§                                          §$†:~.....
......~:†$                                          $†:~......
.......~:†               (EQUISETUM)                †:~.......
........~:                                          :~........
.........~                                          ~.........
........~:                                          :~........
.......~:†         ..~:~.. THE PLANT ..~:~..        †:~.......
......~:†$                                          $†:~......
.....~:†$§ 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 $†:~......
.......~:† SEPARATE  PLANES,  A FEW  CENTIMETERS IN †:~.......
........~: HEIGHT.  TIME  CAN   GET  DIFFRACTED  IN :~........
.........~ THESE,  HITTING  EACH  IN   TURN   IN  A ~.........
........~:      SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ANGLE, AND       :~........
.......~:†         EVENTUALLY SPREAD THIN.          †:~.......
......~:†$                                          $†:~......
.....~:†$§                                          §$†:~.....
....~:†$§@                                          @§$†:~....
...~:†$§@#                                          #@§$†:~...
..~:†$§@##                                          ##@§$†:~..