(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.