$%*~:.....                                          .....:~*%$
&$%*~:....                                          ....:~*%$&
#&$%*~:...                                          ...:~*%$&#
##&$%*~:..                                          ..:~*%$&##
###&$%*~:.                                          .:~*%$&###
##&$%*~:..               (equisetum)                ..:~*%$&##
#&$%*~:...                                          ...:~*%$&#
&$%*~:....                                          ....:~*%$&
$%*~:.....                                          .....:~*%$
%*~:......        .:~*~:. 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.         ........:~
*~:.......                                          .......:~*
%*~:......                                          ......:~*%
$%*~:.....                                          .....:~*%$
&$%*~:....                                          ....:~*%$&
#&$%*~:...                                          ...:~*%$&#