..&&..&&&.                                          &.&.&...&&
.&.&.&..&&                                          &&&&&..&.&
&&&&&&.&.&                                          ....&.&&&&
.....&&&&&                                          ...&&&....
....&.....                                          ..&..&....
...&&.....                (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.         &.&...&&&&
&..&&&...&                                          &&&..&....
&.&..&..&.                                          ..&.&&...&
&&&.&&.&&.                                          .&&&.&..&.
..&&.&&.&&                                          &..&&&.&&&
.&.&&.&&..                                          &.&..&&..&