.....^\%##                                          ##%\^.....
...^\\^^^£                                          £^^^\\^...
.^«\^%£###                                          ###£%^\«^.
......^\%#                                          #%\^......
..^^^\^%##                                          ##%^\^^^..
.^«\^%£###               (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.          ####%^\«^.
.....^\^%£                                          £%^\^.....
.....«^££#                                          #££^«.....
.^«\%£####                                          ####£%\«^.
.^«\^%£###                                          ###£%^\«^.
.^«\^%£###                                          ###£%^\«^.