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