#¤¤¤%**~.. ..~**%¤¤¤#
###¤%**~.. ..~**%¤###
###¤%**~.. ..~**%¤###
###¤%**~.. ..~**%¤###
#%**...... ......**%#
###¤%**~.. (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. ..~**%¤###
###¤%**~.. ..~**%¤###
###¤%**~.. ..~**%¤###
¤¤¤%%**~.. ..~**%%¤¤¤
¤%%*~..... .....~*%%¤
####¤**~.. ..~**¤####