.......,~=                                          =~,.......
......,~=*                                          *=~,......
.....,~=*&                                          &*=~,.....
....,~=*&#                                          #&*=~,....
...,~=*&#¶                                          ¶#&*=~,...
..,~=*&#¶#               (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.          ..........
.........,                                          ,.........
........,~                                          ~,........
.......,~=                                          =~,.......
......,~=*                                          *=~,......
.....,~=*&                                          &*=~,.....