........-«                                          «-........
.......-«\                                          \«-.......
......-«\§                                          §\«-......
.....-«\§&                                          &§\«-.....
....-«\§&§                                          §&§\«-....
...-«\§&§#                (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.         #§&§\«-...
..-«\§&§##                                          ##§&§\«-..
.-«\§&§###                                          ###§&§\«-.
..-«\§&§##                                          ##§&§\«-..
...-«\§&§#                                          #§&§\«-...
....-«\§&§                                          §&§\«-....