#.....##..                                          #.#.#.##..
.#....###.                                          ......###.
..#...#.##                                          ......#.##
#..#....##                                          ........##
##..#...#.                                          ........#.
###..#....               (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.         ....#.##..
.#...#.##.                                          #.....###.
..#....###                                          ##....#.##
#..#...#.#                                          ###.....##
##..#....#                                          #.##....#.
###..#...#                                          ..###.....