(Here is a short, 5 minute video explaining the mystery, in case someone wants to watch it in video format: Puzzling Origin Of The Namibian Fairy Circles.)
In 2014 an Australian environmentalist gets a call about strange, barren patches of land appearing in the Pilbara region. These almost perfectly circular patches amidst the grass are completely void of any vegetation and vary in size between 1 and 15 meters(3-50ft).
He discovers that this weird phenomenom is not unique to his region but has been reported on for decades(since the thirties). All previous reports he can find hail from Namibia, West Africa.
It seems these things have been in Namibia for as long as the local peoples can remember and are seen as just another part of nature there.
They even sometimes use them to corral their young cattle by putting a wooden perimiter around them.
Here is one such Fairy Circle next to a dirt road in Namibia.
Here is a bunch together in the Namibian Wilderness.
After years of studying them, scientists have come up with a few plausible theories. The main one for many years was that they were caused by sand termites. These creatures are pretty remarkable in their own right. It seems they thrive in very barren landscapes(like deserts) and it is theorized that they get their food from tiny particles of organic matter being carried by the wind from elsewhere.The theory goes that these little critters make their nest somewhere and start "cleaning" it up by removing all the vegetation from the soil above. (their nests are underground)Essentially, the diameter of the fairy circle is how big their colony is. This theory has fallen under heavy scrutiny lately though, since a lot of researchers point out that some of the fairy circles contained no sign whatsoever of these termites and even if they all did, the effect of these insects should not be big enough to cause these giant circles of barren land.
One of the more interesting theories comes from two researchers who believe the plants are having some kind of "warfare" situation. In the very arid landscapes of the namib desert and wilderness, there is fierce competition over very scarce resources. They found out one commonality between all these fairy circles, namely that they are all extremely rich in soil nutrients in the very center of the circle and that the outside perimiter has very long grass comparered
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A stunning phenomenon of circular barren patches in the dry grasslands, known as "fairy circles," was once thought to only exist in the Namib Desert in Namibia, Africa.
For decades, the origin of the fairy circles mystified researchers and scientists, according to a new study published Monday in the journal PNAS, or the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
But after discovering a similar pattern of circles in the remote outback of Australia two years ago, researchers now believe they're closer to understanding the "baffling structures," according to Stephan Getzin, the study's lead author and head of the Department of Ecological Modelling at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Germany.
"There have been a lot of interesting mythological explanations for the circles by locals in Namibia," Getzin told ABC News today. "Some people thought fairies danced in a circle overnight, while others thought they could be the footsteps of God."
A large fairy circle is seen here with a hardened top-soil layer that prevents the growth of grass
Local lore also explained the circular gaps as being created by a dragon whose fire burned holes into the land, Getzin said. And still others believed the circles were created by UFOs, he added.
But these three main scientific theories emerged after researchers started looking into circles in the remote Namib Desert in the 1970s, Getzin explained:
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Toxic carbon monoxide gas was rising up from the Earth under the circles, killing the vegetation
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Insects, mainly ants and termites, nibble away at the roots of the grasses
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The grasses self-organize themselves in this pattern as a response to scarce water
Australian fairy circles are seen here in this undated file photo
After doing more investigation on the circles in Australia for these past two years, Getzin's team was able to find significant evidence and support for the third theory, he said.
He added that other similar patterns exist in remote, dry areas of Earth, including trees that form "stripes" on mountain slopes and "labyrinths of tiger bush" found in the arid and semi-arid regions of Australia, We
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Okay so as the title suggests, there is a large 2ish yard diameter fairy circle in my 10 yard front yard. It popped up about a week ago over the course of a day and a half and the mushrooms are quite large (the largest is maybe 6inches across on top). I set out honey and dandelion jelly on a stone plate as an offering and it's gone untouched. I noticed the other day that a few mushrooms had grown outside the circle. My bird feeder was knocked over as well. My dog then ran through the circle, she had previously been wary of it and kept her distance, breaking many of the mushrooms.
Any ideas on what's going on or advice going forward? Should I be worried about if my dog offended any fae or will they leave her be since she's an animal?
Thanks for any help
Okay, I’m sure I’m not the first person to notice this, but I just realized how absurdly high you can get your persuasion as a ranger using Tasha’s.
With expertise from Canny and adding your WIS mod thanks to the Fey Wanderer’s Otherworldly Glamour, a 17th level ranger with 20s in WIS and CHA could have a +22 to persuasion checks. On a nat 20 that’s a forty freakin’ two!
The DMG suggests a DC of 30 to represent nearly impossible tasks, which means this character could easily talk their way out of nearly impossible situations.
Obviously, focusing the character entirely on persuasion means you’re leaving some other things behind, but thanks to Druidic warrior you wouldn’t be entirely useless in combat either. Only mostly useless. But hey, why fight when you can negotiate?
Since the last "non-murder/disappearance" mystery I posted seems to have encouraged some discussion and generated some intrest, I wanted to share this one with you.
(As last time, here is a short, 5 minute video explaining the mystery, in case someone wants to watch it in video format: Puzzling Origin Of The Namibian Fairy Circles.)
In 2014 an Australian environmentalist gets a call about strange, barren patches of land appearing in the Pilbara region. These almost perfectly circular patches amidst the grass are completely void of any vegetation and vary in size between 1 and 15 meters(3-50ft).
He discovers that this weird phenomenom is not unique to his region but has been reported on for decades(since the thirties). All previous reports he can find hail from Namibia, West Africa.
It seems these things have been in Namibia for as long as the local peoples can remember and are seen as just another part of nature there.
They even sometimes use them to corral their young cattle by putting a wooden perimiter around them.
Here is one such Fairy Circle next to a dirt road in Namibia.
Here is a bunch together in the Namibian Wilderness.
After years of studying them, scientists have come up with a few plausible theories. The main one for many years was that they were caused by sand termites. These creatures are pretty remarkable in their own right. It seems they thrive in very barren landscapes(like deserts) and it is theorized that they get their food from tiny particles of organic matter being carried by the wind from elsewhere.The theory goes that these little critters make their nest somewhere and start "cleaning" it up by removing all the vegetation from the soil above. (their nests are underground)Essentially, the diameter of the fairy circle is how big their colony is. This theory has fallen under heavy scrutiny lately though, since a lot of researchers point out that some of the fairy circles contained no sign whatsoever of these termites and even if they all did, the effect of these insects should not be big enough to cause these giant circles of barren land.
One of the more interesting theories comes from two researchers who believe the plants are having some kind of "warfare" situation. In the very arid landscapes of the namib desert and wilderness, there is fierce competition over very scarce resources. They found out one commonality betwee
... keep reading on reddit ➡)
