..#..#..#.                                          ...##.#.##
#..#..#..#                                          ...##...##
##..#..#..                                          #..###..#.
###..#..#.                                          .#.#.##...
#.##..#..#                                          .....###..
..###..#..                (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.         ..###....#
.###....#.                                          ..#.##....
.#.##....#                                          ....###...
...###....                                          ....#.##..
...#.##...                                          #.....###.
.....###..                                          .#....#.##