Crop Circles - The Myth and History of these Strange PatternsCrop circles are a generic term used to describe the flattening of crops, usually in a circular pattern were thought to be work of UFO's.
Crop circles, appearing mysteriously overnight, range from simple to complex and intricate patterns, leaving us in awe of their creation.
The phenomenon of crop circles first came to public attention in the 1970s, sparking a wave of debate over their origins. In late 1991, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley made a public announcement that they had been constructing crop circles since 1970, revealing the human hand behind many of these mysterious formations. This revelation marked a turning point in the understanding of crop circles. Since the early 1990s, Circlemakers.org, a UK-based art collective, have been creating complex crop circles, further blurring the lines between art and the paranormal.
Crop circles are meticulously constructed using a variety of simple tools. These include wooden planks, rope, and wire. The process involves attaching a four-foot-long plank to a rope, which is then used to create circles up to eight feet in diameter. The creators carefully navigate the fields, bending the plants in a regular pattern to form the intricate designs we see.
After the public admission of the original creators, crop circle activity surged. Each new design aimed to surpass the complexity of earlier ones, leading to the evolution of crop circle designs into an art form.
In an interview with Mark Pilkington, crop circle maker John Lundberg spoke about this change in crop circle designs,
"I am rather envious of circle makers in other countries. Expectations about the size and complexity of formations that appear in the UK are now very high, whereas the rather shabby-looking Russian formation made the national news. Even Vasily Belchenko, deputy secretary of the Russian Security Council, was on site gushing about its origin: 'There is no doubt that it was not man-made... an unknown object landed there.' If the same formation appeared in the UK it would undoubtedly be virtually ignored by researchers and the media alike."
Given that most circles occur in the Avebury close to ancient sites such as earth barrows or mounds, white horses carved into the chalk hills, and stone circles, it has been hypothesized that crop circles are of paranormal origin. Some alternative theories that have been discussed include alien spacecraft landings, UFOs, mini tornadoes, ball lightning, and the intriguing concept of 'plasma vortices'.
How the Patterns are Created
Modern crop artists have embraced technology in their craft. They use maps and computers to plot their circles beforehand, ensuring precision in their designs. Some even utilize GPS devices to help them create large patterns. However, traditional techniques such as dowsing rods are still employed by some to identify prime locations, blending the old with the new in this unique art form.
Siting a crop circle above underground streams or in magnetic fields adds authenticity to the circle while also helping to baffle those who want to unravel their mystery.
Creating a crop circle is a meticulous process that requires precision and secrecy. To maintain the mystery of how a crop circle appears, they are typically created at night, away from the prying eyes of unsuspecting locals. The use of torches is avoided as they can attract attention, so the crop circle creators prefer to work with the light provided by the stars or moon. They allow their eyes to adjust to the dark, ensuring they can work undetected.
By entering fields on existing tractor tracks and paths, crop circle creators can help disguise how the crop circle got there. Sticking to the hard ground also avoids leaving footprints, while careful movement through the growing plants helps to minimise signs that they were there. Once at the location for the pattern, they try to only walk in areas where the crop will be flattened so their presence can go undetected, adding to the mystery of their creation.
Using tape or string, most crop artists will measure out the design. Some crop circle creators use surveying equipment to help ensure their shapes are perfectly geometric and to keep lines straight.
Traditionally, rope attached to the plank is looped over the shoulders, and a foot is pressed onto the wood, pressing it forward and down. This folds the stems and bends them in a regular pattern. By advancing in a shuffling gait, they can bend all the plants in the same, regular way.
