&..&....&. ..&.&.....
&.&&...&&& .&&&&....&
&&.&..&..& &...&...&.
.&&&.&&.&& &..&&..&&&
&..&&.&&.. &.&.&.&..&
&.&.&&.&.& (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. &.&.&&&.&&
&&&&&..&.& &&&&..&&.&
....&.&&&. ...&.&.&&.
...&&&..&. ..&&&&&.&.
..&..&.&&& .&....&&&.
.&&.&&&..& &&...&..&.