.:~*$%&###                                          ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&##                                          ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&###                                          ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&##                                          ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&###                                          ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&##               (EQUISETUM)                ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&###                                          ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&##                                          ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&###                                          ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&##         .:~*~:. THE PLANT .:~*~:.        ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&###                                          ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&## THE  EQUISETUM  IS  A  PLANT  MUCH OLDER ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&### THAN  FERNS,  WHICH  ARE  IN  TURN  MUCH ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&## OLDER THAN  MOST TREES. IT'S LIGHT GREEN ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&### TO  YELLOW  IN  COLOR  AND  IS  SLIGHTLY ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&##               TRANSPARENT.               ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&###                                          ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&## THE PLANT HAS A  SPINE. EACH VERTEBRA IS ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&### STACKED UPON  THE NEXT,  WITH  SPOKELIKE ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&## RIBS RADIATING  OUTWARD. EVEN  SO,  IT'S ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&### VERY LIGHT, BEING  HOLLOW.  IT'S ROUGHLY ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&## THE HEIGHT OF A FOXES  TAIL,  AND SHARES ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&###            A SIMILAR PLUMAGE.            ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&##                                          ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&### IT LIKES  PARTIAL SHADE  AND  VERY  DAMP ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&##                   AREAS                  ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&###                                          ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&##                                          ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&###                                          ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&##         .:~*~:. IN MAGIC .:~*~:.         ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&###                                          ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&## WHEN A  COLONY NUMBERS  HIGH  ENOUGH, IT ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&### SLICES  THE  AIR   IN  THE  FOREST  INTO ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&## SEPARATE  PLANES, A  FEW CENTIMETERS  IN ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&### HEIGHT.  TIME  CAN   GET  DIFFRACTED  IN ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&## THESE,   HITTING  EACH  IN   TURN  IN  A ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&###       SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ANGLE, AND      ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&##         EVENTUALLY SPREAD THIN.          ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&###                                          ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&##                                          ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&###                                          ###&%$*~:.
..:~*$%&##                                          ##&%$*~:..
.:~*$%&###                                          ###&%$*~:.