####¤%$;«~                                          ~«;$%¤####
####¤%$;«~                                          ~«;$%¤####
###¤%$;«~.                                          .~«;$%¤###
###¤%$;«~.                                          .~«;$%¤###
###¤%$;«~.                                          .~«;$%¤###
#%;~......                (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       .....~;%¤#
###¤%$;«~.          EVENTUALLY SPREAD THIN.         .~«;$%¤###
##%%%$;«~.                                          .~«;$%%%##
##¤%$«....                                          ....«$%¤##
#¤$««~....                                          ....~««$¤#
###¤%$;«~.                                          .~«;$%¤###
##%$;;«...                                          ...«;;$%##