CROP CIRCLES

"The finest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of art and true science. He who does not know it can no longer wonder, no longer feel amazement, is good as dead, a snuffed-out candle". -Albert Einstein

These images are aerial photographs of crop circles which appeared in various fields throughout England as well as a few other places. The parallel lines visible both inside and outside some of the formations are tractor paths used by farmers for the planting and spraying of the field.

The crop circles which began appearing in the growing fields of southern England in the early 1970's were small and simple circles, precise and slightly elliptical, created by the gentle laying down of oats, wheat, oilseed rape, and barley. These plants were bent at the stem but were undamaged and continued to grow and ripen in their new horizontal orientation. The ensuing years have brought about an exponential increase in the number, size, and complexity of the formations. To date, a total of over 10,000 crop circles have been reported worldwide, with up to 400 occurring yearly in England. Although theories abound as to their origin and significance, crop circles remain a beautiful, engaging, and ongoing mystery.