...=*%%¤¶#                                          #¶¤%%*=...
..=*%%¤¶##                                          ##¶¤%%*=..
...=*%%¤¶#                                          #¶¤%%*=...
....=*%%¤¶                                          ¶¤%%*=....
.....=*%%¤                                          ¤%%*=.....
......=*%%                (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.         ..........
.........=                                          =.........
........=*                                          *=........
.......=*%                                          %*=.......
......=*%%                                          %%*=......
.....=*%%¤                                          ¤%%*=.....