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