This phenomenon is often referred to as a “crop circle ghost” or “ghost crop circle,” and some skeptics believe that it is caused by crop circle tourists or hoaxers stepping on the affected plants and inadvertently planting the seeds within. This can cause a second growth of plants in the affected region, which then appear green and vibrant. The following year, if the farmer working the field doesn’t apply extra fertilizer, the crop circle may reappear as an area of less growth, as the new plants have leeched the soil of nutrients.

In this case, the ‘ghost’ effect has appeared in the negative space of the original crop circle—those areas of the design which were originally flattened. Some have speculated that the aforementioned actions of crop circle tourists or the mere act of flattening the plants itself, might have spurred new growth. This argument is especially convincing to skeptics, considering the new growth apparent in the tractor tracks seen throughout the field, where the tractor’s tires may have had the same effect on the plants in its path.