Time grows by

Whatever your opinion on how the circles are formed, there is no denying that the resulting images of formations in fields around Marlborough are, to quote veteran crop circle investigator Professor Michael Glickman, "eye candy".

The calendar has been produced, as in previous years, by the Wiltshire Crop Circle Study Group and the photographs were taken by its director Francine Blake, who is currently lecturing on the subject in Canada and the USA. Proceeds from the sale of the calendar support the group's research and photography.

The first formation in the calendar is a series of eccentric circles in hexagonal form that was discovered in a barley field at Ogbourne St George on June 15, but the January page also includes a smaller picture of a "dumb-bell" formation in a field of oilseed rape at All Cannings found on April 26.

February depicts a delicate rose impression in barley at West Overton on May 21. A smaller shot shows how the formation is almost invisible at ground level.

March shows a more robust rope-style formation, also in barley, that appeared at Windmill Hill, near Avebury, on June 7, while April's pin up is a a complex star of David shape at Milk Hill, beneath the Alton Barnes White Horse, on June 17. The month also features the chequered spiral found at nearby Tan Hill on June 24, and a hexagonal formation at Clifford's Hill, near All Cannings, on June 15.

May shows a stunning overhead shot of the spiral shape that appeared in a field of barley at Windmill Hill on June 22, while, on the same page, the 300-foot diameter pentangle in a wheat field at Green Lane, Avebury, on July 6 is shown.

June also features a dramatic overhead shot, this time of the mindboggling complex formation that appeared at North Downs, near Beckhampton, on July 6. The 285-ft diameter formation was made in direct line with the four neolithic round barrows at the site.

July depicts the extravagant collection of whorls and circles in golden-coloured wheat at Hackpen Hill, found on July 20. A smaller picture shows a much less ornate formation at nearby Field Barn, which appeared three days later.

A five-pointed star with crescents is the main feature on the page for August. This image was found in a field of wheat at Avebury Trusloe on July 13. To show how busy July was in the area round Marlborough, a snowflake formation at Scrope Wood on July 23 is also shown on the same page.

A 12-pointed star design discovered at Huish, near Pewsey, on July 20, is the main feature for September, while the stunning 'swallows' formation found at Walkers Hill on August 4 is the striking centrepiece for October.

By far the largest formation discovered this summer, at 670ft, is the strange three-dimensional effect of light and dark circles found in a wheat field at North Downs, near Beckhampton, on August 10. This is November's main pin up.

Finally, the December view is one of the few square formations ever seen in a Wiltshire field. It appeared on August 8 at South Field, Alton Priors, and is similar in design to one seen in the same place last year.

Copies of the calendar are available, price £10, from the Visitors Centre in Devizes Market Place; the Bluestone Gallery in Old Swan Yard; Devizes Books, Duck's newsagents and the Healthy Life, all in Devizes. At Avebury it can be bought at the Henge Shop and in Marlborough at Wild Thyme.

It is also available by mail order from the Wiltshire Crop Circle Study Group and cheques for £12 per calendar should be made payable to the group and sent to them at PO Box 939, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 1XD.