- May 26, 2004 - "Wagon Wheel" Crop Formation
Reported in Peach Orchard, Arkansas.
- Owner says the wheat pattern is at least 100 feet diameter
and is his first. Last year in June 2003, the first fractal formation in
U. S. was in a Knobel wheat field only a few miles from Peach Orchard.
Report upcoming.
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- Email from Nancy Talbot:
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- Dear All.....
- On Tuesday, May 25 BLT got a call from Arkansas announcing
the first formation of the season--found the day before (5/24/04) by a
Clay County crop-duster while spraying a nearby field.
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- The formation is a lovely 7-armed "pinwheel"
measuring 166' in diameter, in nearly mature wheat. This circle is in an
area nearby last summer's Knobel, Arkansas event and has a somewhat similar
design aspect, looking quite a bit like formations called "St.Catherine's
Wheels" in the UK years ago. It is placed nearly in the center of
a 40-acre field and is only barely visible from the road.
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- Because the crop is not yet ready for harvest the farmer
has indicated that he will be unable to allow public access and has requested
that the exact location not be published. He was willing, however, to allow
BLT fieldworker JoAnne Scarpellini access to carry out the sampling protocol
for the new mycorrhizal fungi study being conducted by BLT in conjunction
with a University of California (Davis) mycologist and soil chemist.
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-
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- Visual examination of the plants revealed no expulsion
cavities and only minimal apical node elongation and no magnetic particles
were recovered by magnetic drag. The lay of the crop, however, was moderately
intricate with 3 layers of crop found at several points within the downed-plant
areas, and moderate nodal bending was also documented. The crop in the
7 curved arcs flowed INTO the center of the overall formation, flowing
both under and over the lay of the inner ring. Two bird's nests were also
found, totally intact, in the laid crop--one of which was still attached
to the wheat stalks upon which it had been built. The other nest appears
to be of a tree-dwelling species and must have been blown, or carried,
into the downed crop--perhaps during the event.
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- The farmer's visual inspection on Tuesday morning revealed
no sign of human entry (no footprints and no broken, squashed plants),
in spite of the fact that the field had been planted by drill with the
plants very close together. He did see animal tracks, particularly deer,
along a nearby drainage ditch. In conversation that day he expressed the
opinion that the formation must have occurred Saturday or Sunday night
(May 22 or 23), since crop-dusters spraying his fields the week previous
had not seen it.
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- The farmer regrets that he cannot allow general access
to the formation and requests the public's consideration of his wishes
in this regard.
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- JoAnne Scarpellini and Nancy Talbott will discuss this
formation in greater depth with Jeff Rense on Friday night, and JoAnne
will provide details of her sampling effort for the new study.
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- An aerial photo of the formation is on The Crop Circle
Web Site; additional photos will be available on the Jeff Rense web-site
on Friday (www.rense.com).
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- We are all tickled to see such a pretty formation kick
off the U.S. 2004 season.
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- Nancy Talbott
- BLT Research Team Inc.
- (www.bltresearch.com)
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- http://www.cropcirclenews.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=224
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