......~^%#                                          #%^~......
.~-^%%%%%#                                          #%%%%%^-~.
.~-^%%%%##                                          ##%%%%^-~.
.~-^%%####                                          ####%%^-~.
....-%%%##                                          ##%%%-....
.....-^%%#                (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.         ##%%%%^-~.
.~-^%%####                                          ####%%^-~.
.~-^%%####                                          ####%%^-~.
.~-^%%%###                                          ###%%%^-~.
.~--^^%%%#                                          #%%%^^--~.
....--%%##                                          ##%%--....