.§.§......                                          §§.§§§...§
....§.....                                          §§.§.§§...
.....§....                                          §§...§§§..
......§...                                          §§§..§.§§.
.......§..                                          §.§§...§§§
§.......§.               (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.         .§....§.§§
§.....§...                                          ..§.....§§
§§.....§..                                          ...§....§.
§§§.....§.                                          ....§.....
§.§§.....§                                          §....§....
..§§§.....                                          §§....§...