#@§£*^=...                                          ...=^*£§@#
@§£*^=....                                          ....=^*£§@
§£*^=.....                                          .....=^*£§
£*^=......                                          ......=^*£
*^=.......                                          .......=^*
^=........                (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.          ......=^*£
§£*^=.....                                          .....=^*£§
@§£*^=....                                          ....=^*£§@
#@§£*^=...                                          ...=^*£§@#
##@§£*^=..                                          ..=^*£§@##
#@§£*^=...                                          ...=^*£§@#