Others, such as molecular biologist Horace Drew, suggest that the answer lies instead in time travel or alien life, according to The New Zealand Herald (opens in new tab). Some people have suggested that the circles are somehow created by localized and precise wind patterns, or by scientifically undetectable Earth energy fields and meridians called ley lines, according to Kent Heberling (opens in new tab). One explanation in vogue in the early 1980s was that the mysterious circle patterns were accidentally produced by the especially vigorous sexual activity of horny hedgehogs, according to the Washington Post (opens in new tab). Internal information includes the content and meaning of the designs (is there anything that indicates that any information contained in the "messages" is of extraterrestrial origin?), and external information, including the physical construction of the crop designs themselves (is there anything that indicates that the designs were created by anything other than humans?)Īccording to National Geographic (opens in new tab), crop circle enthusiasts have come up with many theories about what creates the patterns, ranging from the plausible to the absurd. We can look at both internal and external evidence to evaluate crop circles. The real question is instead what creates them - and there are ways to investigate that question. Unlike other mysterious phenomenon such as psychic powers, ghosts, or Bigfoot, there is no doubt that crop circles are "real." The evidence that they exist is clear and overwhelming. What creates crop circles?Ĭrop Circles have often been thought to be caused by UFOs. The circle became one of the most famous and important crop circles in history. Making the design all the more mysterious, it was claimed that the circle appeared in less than an hour and during the daytime, according to BriteEvents (opens in new tab) - which, if true, would be virtually impossible for hoaxers to accomplish. The only question was whether that intelligence was terrestrial or extraterrestrial. It was an astonishing fractal pattern called a Julia Set, and while some simple or rough circles might be explained away as the result of a strange weather phenomenon, this one unmistakably demonstrated intelligence. In July 1996, according to Harry Eilenstein (" Crop Circles for Beginners (opens in new tab)", BoD 2021) one of the world's most complex and spectacular crop circles appeared in England, across a highway from the mysterious and world-famous Stonehenge monument in the Wiltshire countryside. The number and complexity of the circles increased dramatically, reaching a peak in the 1980s and 1990s when increasingly elaborate circles were produced, according to an article by Nature (opens in new tab), including those illustrating complex mathematical equations. In fact, the first real crop circles didn't appear until the 1970s, when simple circles began appearing in the English countryside. (Image credit: Getty/ Heritage Images / Contributor) The Crop Circle, which appeared at Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England in 1996.
Indeed, mysterious circles have appeared in grass throughout the world that are sometimes attributed to fairies but instead caused by fungus, according to RHS (opens in new tab). A round impression in a lawn or grassy area is not necessarily mysterious (as anyone with a kiddie pool in the backyard knows). Referred in the press as "flying saucer nests," this story is more a UFO report than a crop circle report.Īs in the 1678 mowing devil legend, the case for it being linked to crop circles is especially weak when we consider that the impression or formation was not made in a crop of any kind but instead in ordinary grass. When he went to investigate he saw a roughly circular area of debris and apparently flattened reeds and grass, which he assumed had been made by the alien spacecraft, but which Australian Geographic suggests might have been unusual animal behaviour. Related: What does the devil look like? 8 historical images of SatanĪccording to the Australian Geographic (opens in new tab), the worldwide crop circle phenomenon was heralded by an event in Tully, Australian 1966, a farmer said he saw a flying saucer rise up from a swampy area and fly away.