.&.&&&&&.. .....&....
&&&....&.& ....&&....
..&...&&&& ...&.&...&
.&&..&...& ..&&&&..&&
&.&.&&..&. .&...&.&.&
&&&&.&.&&. (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. .&..&&.&&&
...&..&&.. &&.&.&&...
..&&.&.&.. .&&&&.&...
.&.&&&&&.. &...&&&...
&&&....&.& &..&..&...
..&...&&&. &.&&.&&..&