.....^~\†%                                          %†\~^.....
....^~\†%#                                          #%†\~^....
...^~\†%##                                          ##%†\~^...
..^~\†%###                                          ###%†\~^..
.^~\†%####                                          ####%†\~^.
..^~\†%###               (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.          ~^........
.......^~\                                          \~^.......
......^~\†                                          †\~^......
.....^~\†%                                          %†\~^.....
....^~\†%#                                          #%†\~^....
...^~\†%##                                          ##%†\~^...