.,;*%&####                                          ####&%*;,.
.....«***&                                          &***«.....
.,«;*%&###                                          ###&%*;«,.
....««««*&                                          &*««««....
.....«*%%&                                          &%%*«.....
.,«;*%####                (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.          #&**;«....
.,«;*%&###                                          ###&%*;«,.
.,«;*%&###                                          ###&%*;«,.
.,«;*%&###                                          ###&%*;«,.
.,«;*%&###                                          ###&%*;«,.
.,«;*%&###                                          ###&%*;«,.