&,&,&,,&&&                                          ,,&&&,,,&,
&&&&&,&,,,                                          ,&,,&,,&&&
,,,,&&&,,,                                          &&,&&,&,,,
,,,&,,&,,&                                          ,&&,&&&,,,
,,&&,&&,&&                                          &,&&,,&,,,
,&,&&,&&,&                (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.         ,&,,,&,&&&
&,&&,,&,&&                                          &&,,&&&,,&
&&,&,&&&,&                                          ,&,&,,&,&,
,&&&&,,&&,                                          &&&&,&&&&&
&,,,&,&,&&                                          ,,,&&,,,,&
&,,&&&&&,,                                          ,,&,&,,,&,