Post by Joanna on Aug 16, 2017 1:52:57 GMT -5
Huge, Complex Crop Circle Attracts Hundreds of Visitors
A farmer says she has been inundated by 400 visitors, helicopters and drones since a crop circle appeared in her field. Shelley Klindt, who farms near Hannington, Wiltshire, said the 200-foot circle appeared overnight on August 2. Despite “trying to keep it quiet,” Klindt indicated online drone footage had attracted hundreds of people. Now a cherry picker is in place so visitors can view it without damaging crops.
According to Klindt, the giant formation in a field of mature wheat near Highworth is the first on her land. She indicated visitors from all over the world have come to her farm since its appearance. “We’ve had helicopters, low-flying aircraft and so many drones,” she reported. “On Saturday, we had about 130 people and eight or nine people were there camping out in the middle of the circle to watch the Perseid meteor shower. And this morning,” she continued, “I got a call at 4:30 a.m. to say there was a van with ‘love’ on it and a man with a magical cape dancing around with incense sticks.”
Creating crop circles is a criminal offence and farmers in the county have been urged by the police to report any on their land. But Klindt said although it is “annoying,” she has been allowing people into the field to see it. “It’s about 60 meters wide, which means we’ve lost about eight tons of grain,” she said. “So we’re asking for a £2 donation to cover the loss of the crop and we’re also charging for people to go up in the cherry picker. But on Friday it will be gone when we harvest and the headache will be over.”
Source: BBC News, August 13, 2017.