THE BLOOM
(Dossier mis à jour le 23/05/2025)
The bloom is a thin waxy layer, often bluish or whitish, which forms on the surface of the young stems and leaves of wheat, barley and oilseed rape plants. This natural substance is mainly made up of lipids and plays a protective role against pathogens, dehydration and UV rays. This thin, waxy layer that covers the stems provides essential protection to the plants by preventing water loss and serving as a barrier against disease and ultraviolet rays. However, this layer is extremely delicate and is easily rubbed off.
We can see that the bloom is intact absolutely everywhere on the stems - Crop circle Honey Street 2004
When crop circles are made using boards, the bloom on the stems is very often scraped off. The slightest touch, whether from another stem or an
object like a board, is enough to remove the bloom. In cases where boards or rollers are used to flatten plants, the stems show scrape marks where the dark green stem beneath is exposed, and this can serve as a way of identifying the methods used.
Crop circle from 2007 at Burham in wheat. The bloom has been partially removed on all the stems and shoe tread marks are visible - William was among the first people to visit this crop circle, after the hoaxers had completed their work.
Crop circle from 2010 at Stonehenge in rapeseed which we have clearly identified as having been made by hoaxers - The bloom is gone and many scratches are visible.
The Fragility of Bloom
The bloom is so fragile that it can be removed simply by stems and leaves rubbing across each other in a gust of wind, and especially through contact with solid objects like boards and rollers. When a board is used to create a pattern in a field, it exerts mechanical pressure that removes this waxy layer, exposing the tender green surface of the stems. As the vast majority of crop circles are nowadays made by mechanical means, these giveaway marks are almost always present in crop circles.
Crop Circles and missing Bloom
When looking at a crop circle in young barley, wheat or oilseed rape to establish its provenance the first course of action is to check the bloom, and look for white line board marks which would giveaway the action of a board on the stems. The stems should be lightly laid and not flattened hard to the ground.
The condition of the bloom can serve as a silent witness, revealing the methods used to flatten the stems.
AFTER THE BLOOM, THE WHITE LINES
This is how to identify a mechanically made, hoaxed crop circle made with a board. The sharp angular leading edge of the board used to flatten the crop leaves tell-tale rows of damage marks, white lines and creases, across several stems.
Always start by establishing the provenance of the crop circle, whether made using boards or other mechanical means or through some other energy. Once you have decided for yourself the true nature of the crop circle it's worth listening to the opinions of other people present, if any, with you in the formation. That way you can have a constructive discussion, with your findings ready were you to find yourself debating with those of a different persuasion.
The board marks, albeit faint, are there. Another man-made effort.
Crop circle from 2009 at Milk Hill Ground shots taken in the 2009 Alton Barnes crop circle. This formation was made over three nights and board marks were found throughout.
Board marks are present, albeit faint !
AFTER THE WHITE LINES, THE CREASES
Boards leave fairly easy to spot lines in unripe crop, being white on dark green. However, hoaxed crop circles created later on in the season, end of July beginning of August, are not so easy to tell. Here it will be a case of getting down on hands and knees to look for the often difficult to see creases left by board impact. Again best to go to the less trampled edges of the formation to look for these as we are now at the height of the crop circle tours visiting season. Don't forget these creases, as with the white lines, should be present more or less lined up across several stems, otherwise one could just be looking at the odd crease left by the edge of someone's shoe.
And lift any laid clumps to see what lies underneath, perhaps there are other stems running in a different direction, or 'construction lines'.
As you can see you don't need to be an 'expert' with years of experience behind you, anyone can arrive at a reasonable conclusion by following these simple steps.
Don't forget though to record your visits and findings, photos and or film, these could be very useful in the future, especially if you find yourself in a very rare, genuine, non mechanically made crop circle.