What is a crop circle? The answer to this question may seem obvious, but there is far more to the phenomenon than might be assumed.
The manifestations are neither to be found purely in cereal crops nor are purely circular. Indeed in recent years, the formations - agriglyphs or pictograms as the more complex are often called - have targeted snow, pack ice, dust, pine needles, grass and sand as well as the more conventional fields of wheat, barley, corn, rye and oilseed rape. They have appeared on private farmland, heritage land, wasteland and public areas of moorland and heath. They have appeared all over the world in varying degrees of complexity and size, though it is still in the south west of England, especially in Wiltshire and Hampshire, that the majority are to be found.
Statistics quoted on the subject state that in 1990 a staggering 600 formations appeared in Wiltshire alone, 32 of those in one single night! And this was long before the phenomenon really 'took off'! 80% of the world's total of agriglyphs occur in the UK, 75% of those in the geographic triangle which includes such key sites such as Avebury and Stonehenge. Circles are known about however from Russia, Afghanistan, Turkey, India, Japan, the USA, Australia and most of Europe. This is a global phenomenon that shows no sign of dying down; in fact the designs become more spectacular every year.
The first recorded circle in the UK was in 1678, in a story concerning the 'mowing Devil' of Hertfordshire - the accompanying woodcut depicts a devil scything a roughly elliptical shape out of a field of cereal crop. Some have speculated that the circles are even older - that Neolithic man was witness to them and, believing them to be the work of the Earth Goddess he worshipped, was inspired to build the great temples of Stonehenge, Avebury, Stanton Drew, Woodhenge and Silbury Hill. There is no proof of such ideas, though suggestively perhaps a high proportion of circles do appear close to such ancient monuments. Just coincidence?
It is significant however that the circles and patterns are clearly designed to be viewed primarily from the air. Many are all but invisible from ground level until you are standing inside them, and the sheer scale of some recent designs makes it impossible from ground level to appreciate the shape or pattern. This is a marvel best seen from the air. Perhaps this helps to explain why there were relatively few sightings recorded between the episode of the mowing devil and the start of the modern 'boom' in 1978.
The vast majority of agriglyphs appear in cereal crops, hence their profusion in the south and south-west of England where so much of Britain's farmland still remains. They are mainly formed between late May and mid August when the crop is in bloom, though examples have been found outside these times in immature crop and other media such as grass and snow.
Since they proliferate in the summer months one might assume that they are daylight occurrences, but generally speaking this does not appear to be the case. There are few examples which appear outside the very short hours of darkness, thereby making the figures quoted above a great test to the belief in a human agency for these pictograms. Are we really expected to believe that gangs of vandals have been rampaging through the crop fields of England and elsewhere every night for four months of every year for the past twenty years, creating thousands of perfect circles and intricate patterns without ever being seen or caught?! It seems unlikely to say the least.
In 1996 a daylight appearance was recorded which added fuel to the mystery surrounding how these images are created. On July 7th a 900 x 500ft pictogram consisting of 151 circles materialised in a field close to Stonehenge. A pilot flying over the monument confirmed that on his first flight everything was normal, but by his return a mere 35 minutes later the design was complete. What makes this even more remarkable is that no-one - not the dozens of visitors to Stonehenge, nor the probable hundreds of motorists passing within feet of the field on the busy road beside it - saw anything. How was it possible that a design of this size, in a location this densely populated at the time, could have been formed in broad daylight with no witnesses at all? Even more amazing was the design itself - a perfect Julia fractal, a complex mathematical symbol familiar to chaos theorists. Architects and landscape artists have suggested that it would take several days for a team of qualified people just to plot the designs on the ground, let alone construct it. Is this undeniable evidence?
The term crop circle was coined to describe the phenomenon which began to boom in 1978, when single circles, many of great size, started to be reported in the fields. By the late 1980s and early 1990s however, more intricate patterns had developed alongside the simple circles - ringed circles, Celtic crosses and dumb-bells. By 1992, the phenomenon was being studied by several serious investigators, and groups of 'croppies' had sprung up who were to be found photographing, dowsing and otherwise studying and discussing the latest designs and publishing magazines with their findings.
Each year harvests a variety of designs, seemingly appearing at random, but often a pattern of sorts can be discerned. A main design feature for each season has become a part of the mystery. Insectograms, dolphinoids, scorpions, random strings and ratchets were all seen during the early 1990s. By 1996, when I visited my first batch of pictograms, the geometric age had started. The earliest geometric patterns were 1991's fabulous Barbury Castle glyph and the Mandelbrot figures which defy logic with their significance to the human race and our scientific consciousness.
When I started researching in 1996, three formations stood out from the crop - if you'll excuse the awful pun - the Stonehenge Julia fractal, the Windmill Hill Triple Julia set and the East Field Double Helix or DNA strand (650ft long and 89 circles). These patterns, having direct scientific relevance to the human race, were works of landscape art unrivalled in their beauty or majesty. The Triple Julia was my first ever visited design and, as it proved to be, the largest and most intricate of that year, an amazing 1000ft across and 194 circles. The awesome power of a design of this magnitude left all who visited it speechless with admiration and wonder. No words can ever do justice to this agriglyph and the photos that exist (marvellous though they are) do little to capture the energy and sheer size of this cerealogical event. I was captivated, falling to my knees in reverence inside the endless swirling stream of flattened crop that flowed across the ancient hillside. I little imagined that in just over a year I'd be writing my own articles on these marvels, but my newfound passion was sparked the day I found the Triple Julia.
1997 proved to be the year of the starburst, with no fewer than 9 formations from the main season fitting this bill. Again I was lucky enough to stand in the most complex - the Milk Hill formation of 197 circles, 234ft from point to point. The growing complexity of the agriglyphs is still a puzzle, but whoever or whatever is creating these patterns for us to marvel at, there is definitely an intelligence and purpose behind it all. Subsequent years have seen squares, 3D images and other marvels take centre stage.
I feel that the photos of these stunning pictograms speak volumes more than any article ever can, so check out Crop Circle Connector (the best place for info and pics). Do you still believe men made them with planks of wood? Do you still think there's no mystery? What will this year bring? Will Foot and Mouth have affected the density of appearances? Only time will tell, but I will be there to see what I can and to bring you an update. Or will I see some of you there in the crop fields of Wiltshire this summer?
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