...^-/%$@#                                          #@$%/-^...
....^-/%$@                                          @$%/-^....
.....^-/%$                                          $%/-^.....
......^-/%                                          %/-^......
.......^-/                                          /-^.......
........^-               (equisetum)                -^........
.........^                                          ^.........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........        .^-/-^. the plant .^-/-^.         ..........
.........^                                          ^.........
........^- the  equisetum  is  a  plant much  older -^........
.......^-/ than  ferns,  which  are  in  turn  much /-^.......
......^-/% older than most  trees. it's light green %/-^......
.....^-/%$ 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.         ##@$%/-^..
.^-/%$@###                                          ###@$%/-^.
..^-/%$@##                                          ##@$%/-^..
...^-/%$@#                                          #@$%/-^...
....^-/%$@                                          @$%/-^....
.....^-/%$                                          $%/-^.....