#@#@$**~.. ..~**$@#@#
#@#@$**~.. ..~**$@#@#
#@#@$**~.. ..~**$@#@#
##@@$**~.. ..~**$@@##
@@$****~.. ..~****$@@
#@#@$**~.. (EQUISETUM) ..~**$@#@#
##$$*..... .....*$$##
@@$****~.. ..~****$@@
@**~...... ......~**@
##@#@$**.. ..~*~.. THE PLANT ..~*~.. ..**$@#@##
#@#@$**~.. ..~**$@#@#
@*~~...... 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 ......~~*@
@$***~~... THE HEIGHT OF A FOXES TAIL, AND SHARES ...~~***$@
#$$$$**~.. A SIMILAR PLUMAGE. ..~**$$$$#
#@#@$**~.. ..~**$@#@#
#@#@$**~.. IT LIKES PARTIAL SHADE AND VERY DAMP ..~**$@#@#
##@#@$*~.. AREAS ..~*$@#@##
@$$*~~.... ....~~*$$@
###@$**~.. ..~**$@###
@@#@$**~.. ..~**$@#@@
@##@$**~.. ..~*~.. IN MAGIC ..~*~.. ..~**$@##@
#@#@$**~.. ..~**$@#@#
@#$*...... WHEN A COLONY NUMBERS HIGH ENOUGH, IT ......*$#@
##@@$**~.. SLICES THE AIR IN THE FOREST INTO ..~**$@@##
#@@$***~.. SEPARATE PLANES, A FEW CENTIMETERS IN ..~***$@@#
@@#@$**~.. HEIGHT. TIME CAN GET DIFFRACTED IN ..~**$@#@@
#@#@$**~.. THESE, HITTING EACH IN TURN IN A ..~**$@#@#
@@*~...... SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ANGLE, AND ......~*@@
#@#@$**~.. EVENTUALLY SPREAD THIN. ..~**$@#@#
###@$**~.. ..~**$@###
@#@**~~... ...~~**@#@
@$$****~.. ..~****$$@
##@#$**~.. ..~**$#@##
@##@$**~.. ..~**$@##@