..........                                          ..........
~.........                                          .........~
=~........                                          ........~=
:=~.......                                          .......~=:
=:=~......                                          ......~=:=
%=:=~.....               (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.         .......~=:
=~........                                          ........~=
~.........                                          .........~
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........
..........                                          ..........