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