As the latest circle season begins, Andy looks back at what happened in the fields in 2024. Although a quiet year for the phenomenon, interesting events still occurred …
Restrained activity in the fields in 2024 had people wondering about the future of the circle phenomenon, although fascinating creations did arrive. Did the retreat indicate something awry in the circlemaking realms, a calm before a storm, simple bad weather or the start of a new chapter in the world of the paranormal?
Quiet Times
As the old song goes, “It’s oh so quiet …” There has long been a fear that a year might come when the crop formations, which have intrigued, inflamed and inspired people for so long, did not arrive, albeit a fear imbued with curiosity. How would its aficionados react? What would it mean?
2024 was not that year. But it came close.
That this is the shortest report I have written in decades is telling. 2023 saw a modest revival in numbers after a quieter summer before it, but this year made those seasons look like bonanzas. Indeed, 2024 was the most inactive cycle since modern records began. This does not mean that worthwhile events did not occur; they did, as we shall see. But discounting an advert for rapper Yeat near Kansas City in February (although some believe the one available blurry video may be computer-generated), an Australian Lego advert in June and the annual Italian art project by Francesco Grassi (also in June; a motif mostly of small squares, similar to his previous design), and a BBC-made one (see below), globally there were only twelve unexplained formations.
Given that after all this time still no one is sure of the true origin or purpose of this stunningly beautiful and yet frustratingly elusive phenomenon, speculating too hard about why it chose to take a back-seat in 2024 may be redundant. As we don’t know why the circles are there when they are, why should we expect to comprehend it when they are not?
Taking the wider perspective, is there something about these times of world tumults which means that stimulating patterns in the fields have now achieved their main task, whether made extra-terrestrially, extra-dimensionally or by human artists, and that it is now over to us to use the lessons of their former inspiration wisely? Or are they giving up in disgust at the apparent retreat of humankind into more polarisation and madness rather than the less that some spiritual hopefuls had anticipated? Or, especially given the growing expectation of something massive about to erupt in the UFO/UAP disclosure realms, following the extraordinary Congressional hearings that accommodated new military whistleblowers in 2023, is this just the calm before a storm which will soon enough bring a whole new kind of weirdness to the masses, putting all mysteries before it into the shade?
Such speculations have been rife among circle-watchers, concerned at the faltering of their favourite subject. But what if there were a more mundane reason? – the climate. England, the traditional epicentre of all circular activity, had a particularly miserable early summer, with unusual cold and rain persisting for weeks and stunting crop growth, to the detriment of farmers. Cynics might say this simply put off weather-shy plank-wielders, but if so when the dry warmth did finally arrive they didn’t seem particularly keen to make up for it. The dwindling studiers of earth energies, who believe that the natural grid lines play a big part in powering up crop circles, have long said that strong sunlight is needed to trigger them, so perhaps its scarcity also played a role.
In the end, all we can do is wait to see what happens next, and whether the background-level trickle continues as is, the fully silent year comes at last, or a huge renaissance ensues. For now, let us cherish what we did have in this year and explore each formation one by one, in order of appearance.
Gallic Openings
It would take until 7 June (some reports say 4 June) for anything to occur – a very late proper start – and it came in France. Global formations have been reduced to a few crumbs in recent years, but France has managed to keep its hand in. A well-defined but rather roughly laid three-fold pictogram of assorted crescents within flattened circles, it appeared at Wolfisheim in the Bas-Rhin department. A central standing ring widened itself outwards in an interesting fashion on one side, seemingly deliberately.
This was followed by another French pattern at Sainte-Geneviève in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department on 8 June [pictured]. An ingenious and well-formed line of various-sized circles with a crescent at one end and a wide S-shape encompassing the rest at the other, this would have sat quite happily in a Wiltshire field. Its provenance was called into question by some, who noted the pattern’s similarity to grass formations made in playing fields by pupils at the Claude Debussy College near Lille in the Pas-de-Calais department in April. Inspired by their country’s activity, they have been pursuing this annual art project since 2022, although their efforts look rough in comparison. Sceptics may laugh at this thought, but perhaps the “real” phenomenon was responding by showing them improved versions?
Home at Last
It would take until 12 June for the more famous English heartlands to be visited at last, at Wilton in Wiltshire [pictured]. It was worth the wait. Almost an old-style motif, this was effectively a Celtic cross, with a missing satellite replaced by a line of extruding circles of varied size on one side. The broken cross surrounded a very fine ring around a central circle. Not far from the famous Wilton windmill, visited before by the phenomenon, the accuracy and pleasing traditionalism of this arrival gave heart to British “croppies” who were beginning to feel they had been deserted. The hoped-for rush of further activity wouldn’t happen quite as desired but at least the embargo had been broken.
Fruits and Starfish
Austria is not renowned for crop circles, but on 16 June it produced a contribution at Mistelbach in the state of Lower Austria [pictured]. Ostensibly a single circle with a short pathway sprouting from it, giving the impression of an apple-like motif, it was distinguished by a curiously complex lay. With the wheat pleasingly swept outwards in a wide S-shaped flow, a ring was discernible within the weave, with some sculpted ridges of higher crop left around it. Locals seemed sceptical, as people new to the phenomenon are generally conditioned to be, but it is interesting to note that the circle arrived on a night of heavy rain.
England resumed its activity on 30 June at Oakley, Bedfordshire, with a very modest yet rather sweet simple circle, harking back to the early days of the phenomenon. Barely 20 feet across, it exhibited a neat clockwise lay with a single standing stem left at its centre. There were reports of a tiny ‘grapeshot’ circle lying nearby.
The same date saw an old circle area revive at Larkhill, near Stonehenge, Wiltshire, directly adjacent to an ancient barrow (burial mound), as if there to give it a companion [pictured]. A five-armed ‘starfish’ design around a central circle, each arm was unusually made up from staggered half-circles, with a small circle at each tip. A small twist of crop stood at its centre. Neat enough, it gave hope for more to come.
Stonehenge Developments
Despite the hopes, a two-week pause would follow. By now, it had become clear that this season was firmly on the backburner. However, events returned to the Stonehenge area on 14 July, this time south of the monument next to the Normanton Downs Barrows, continuing a theme [pictured]. Employing a minimum of laid crop, this square of thin double paths incorporated four rings in the middle of each flat side. Orderly, and pleasing as a piece of design, it became one of the more visited formations of the summer as the farmer opened up the field to raise funds for the Stonehenge Alliance, a charity that aims to preserve the stones and the ancient landscape around it.
As it happens, after long years of fevered debate, one of the first actions of the UK’s newly elected Labour government at the beginning of July was to cancel highly controversial plans to put the nearby A303 road into a tunnel, which would have passed under fields that have witnessed some important crop formations. Abandoned mainly through lack of funds, there was great relief from many that this sacred area would not be cut through in such a savage way nor an iconic view of the stones stolen from those driving past. Not everyone agreed, with some seeing the endless traffic jams and fumes as an insult to this key heritage site, but with Britain’s coffers at their lowest in years, a replacement scheme is unlikely to be green-lit any time soon.
False Controversy?
Controversy would dog the appearance of the next circular event at the Iron Age hill fort of Badbury Rings (more ancient connections) near Shapwick, Dorset on 19 July [pictured]. An unusual but not unlikeable five-fold wheel displaying complex arms of petals and stretched diamond shapes, it was subsequently claimed that the plans had been posted online by human circlemakers before the pattern appeared. This turned out to be highly unclear, even aside from the fact that the technically adept are known to be able to backdate or retrospectively edit posts – see below.
Nonetheless, the arguing resulted in the formation being prematurely yanked from the main pages of one circle website, as a number were this year, based solely, it would seem, on opinion or unproven assertions. Another site has even taken to giving star ratings. This has become an issue in recent years. Some argue that all crop circles should be reported without weighted views and observers allowed to make up their own minds as to their authenticity or artistic value. Those who assert that the shapes inspire people whether human or non-human believe this kind of selective categorising needs reappraisal – especially given that doubt was then heavily cast over the Badbury claims.
It is easier here to allow expert circle data analyst Barry Reynolds to take up the story. Barry writes:
It was claimed as a hoax by named people and reported as such on social media, with reports appearing to show that it was publicised before it appeared. Separately, the local media got involved along with police, as the farmer reported a £2,000 loss in crop. What followed was hilarious as the alleged hoaxers then denied they made it and deleted all their social media reports once they realised they were going to be charged/prosecuted. Meanwhile, it turned out that they had faked themselves as the hoaxers, because they didn’t do it at all!
The story seems to go that the alleged hoaxers had been waiting to ‘claim’ a formation as their own by attempting to back-create their own social media postings. They did this by making posts prior to the formation appearing and then amending them, changing the source photo on the social post to be a diagram of what they thought the geometry was – only it wasn’t because they did it in a hurry and didn’t understand the geometry properly!
This unedifying story demonstrates the perils of accepting claims without good evidence; this wasn’t the only formation to attract criticism and controversy this summer, as usual, but it was the most notable one. It has always been a problem with crop circles and probably always will be, but it would be nice to see at least some lessons being learned after all these years; claims are just claims without good back-up.
Layers of Encouragement
The next arrival was also de-ranked by some due initially to little more than visual judgementalism. Found again in Dorset at an unrevealed location on 22 July, this small double S-shape of paths and two small circles was accompanied by a separate single circle and was there, if not the most spectacular of patterns. It would indeed turn out that this was made for a lame BBC 4 circle-debunking documentary, but nonetheless, with no more than an aerial shot to go on and no official ground reports, it is perhaps telling that even in a year of such limited choice so few locals felt motivated to explore it anyway. This speaks, perhaps, of a general malaise in a population distracted and weighed down by so many depressing news stories that they have been drawn away from the potentially balancing allure of mystery in their own region. But then proper ground surveys are rare in these times. Not helped by often unfriendly farmers, the advent of drones taking very close-up shots from just a few feet above the crop has been another disincentive for people to actually take the trouble to visit the fields themselves. And yet, so much gets missed this way.
With this point in mind, it was encouraging to see the publication this summer of respected researcher Dan Vidler’s Crop Circles: Layers of Mystery, which makes a strong case as to why ground research is so vital. I was honoured to contribute a foreword to this important book. Dan has long specialised in examining the inner construction of crop circles and the weaves, twists and indeed layers to be found within the laid plants themselves, and the book does an excellent job in sharing these crucial and yet so often overlooked details. No armchair research nor drone work, valuable though that can be, can replace this kind of hands-on observation, which reveals many strong challenges to the idea that all these shapes are just bashed down by human artists. The book comes highly recommended and is a real tonic against scepticism and complacency.
Graphic Mandalas
The mandala-like formation that arrived near the old Roman road course at Marten, Wiltshire, on 23 July was a return to a classic style and in truth was one of only a handful of 2024 patterns to restate something of the more ambitious contributions of previous years. A more unusual seven-fold design, this complex radiating star of varied triangles within a ring was satisfying to the eye. In any other season it would have been seen as a good mid-pacer, but this year it really stood out.
One more appearance recalled former glories at Stoke Charity, Hampshire on 28 July [pictured]. A three-fold Escher-like pattern of nine standing wedge shapes within a ring, grouped into threes, it was very much an exercise in abstract graphic art. Triangular lays were incorporated into the flattened surround, adding eye-catching textures when seen from above. Curiously, in the way that certain formations harmonise with the landscape around them, its layout appeared to echo – slightly – the markings on top of an adjacent circular reservoir built shortly after the Second World War.
A Singular August … With Additions
With such a slow season, bubbling under had always been the tantalising hope for a sudden last-minute torrent of circular ingenuity to offset the oddly quiet weeks, but it was not to be. Even with many standing fields still available, just one more contribution – but an excellent one – would appear, at Etchilhampton, Wiltshire on 8 August. Neatly laid, the arms of this visually beautiful six-fold wheel each curled into comma-shapes with standing centres. Nicknamed “jester’s hats” by some observers due to the small circles at the tip of each arm, this loose association didn’t do justice to what was probably the finest production of the year. Flattened areas were swept out to the edges in attractive S-shapes, something of a theme this season.
Just as it seemed that was it for the British season, there was one last surprise: the Etchilhampton wheel received a makeover [pictured]. On 29 August, an array of additional circles around the outside and thin tracer paths following the curlicues made the design somehow even more baroque, and felt like a little wink, a cheeky signing off to this rather confounding summer.
One final entry would sneak into the autumn months: far away, at Ipuaçu, Santa Catarina, in Brazil, on 14 October a crisply-laid wheel comprising a ringed circle caged within a hexagon of pathways, all surrounded by a ring with three semi-circles perched on it, impressed locals. In a very isolated area where presumably seasoned human circlemakers don’t generally live, this one off attempt in the middle of nowhere effortlessly matched the quality of many of the best crop patterns, raising yet further unanswered questions to conclude another season.
Where to Next?
A stand-out crop formation of 2023 had been a near-precise replica of the very first complex pictogram that shocked the world in 1990: was this making a point that the main cycle had come, literally, full circle..?
Remarkable things did happen in 2024, with truly worthy entries sneaking in at the last minute. But it is fair to say this is unlikely to have been anyone’s favourite circle season. With some intriguing creations but no absolute masterpieces of the kind that some years have produced, there was an undeniable air of a go-slow.
This ennui was perplexing, perhaps, with ever louder calls for fuller UAP disclosure as noted above and the publication in August of Luis Elizondo’s book Imminent, uncovering yet more UFO activity monitored by the US military that looks unlikely just to fade from view. With rumours of more prominent figures about to tell us that a whole world of paranormal phenomena that has been denied for so long might be real after all, the crop circles feel ripe for a major return if they can play the same trick.
Certainly, with a growing number of online documentaries on the circles and renewed interest from worldwide podcasts and YouTube shows, it would seem like a strange time for the phenomenon to recede – unless, as alluded to above, the formations really have performed their main task now and something even greater and stranger is waiting in the wings …
Andy Thomas
Originally written for Nexus Magazine. All 2024 circle photographs are courtesy of Crop Circle Connector/Stonehenge Dronescapes/Crop Circles From Above/The Hampshire Flyer/Tiago Kosinski – Jornal O Falcão/Radio France – Thomas Onfroy/NÖN
Photos, articles and reports on the 2024 season can be found on the Crop Circle Connector website.
