Are crop circles real or just an urban legend?
The first reported sightings of crop circles occurred in the 1970s. The number of circles reported varies from approximately 2,000 (according to the International Crop Circle Database) to an estimated 10,000 sightings worldwide. The first patterns were simple circles and rings in wheat and barley fields, and soon all similar occurrences were referred to as “crop circles.” Many recent patterns are elaborate geometrical designs such as fractals. The crops (usually grasses) in the circles have their stems bent down, not cut, to make the patterns. Sometimes the stems are all bent in the same direction. In some circles, the stems aren’t bent near the ground but higher up, in the middle of the stem. Patterns range in size from just a few yards across to huge designs that c
