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