¨:~*^§@###                                          ###@§^*~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨~*^@                                          @^*~¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~*^§@###                                          ###@§^*~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨:*^@#                                          #@^*:¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨::~^§#                                          #§^~::¨¨¨¨
¨:~*^§@###                (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.          ###@§^*~:¨
¨:~*^§§@@#                                          #@@§§^*~:¨
¨:~*^§@###                                          ###@§^*~:¨
¨:~*^§@###                                          ###@§^*~:¨
¨:~*^§@###                                          ###@§^*~:¨
¨:~*^§@###                                          ###@§^*~:¨