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