News in Brief Animals

Termites, not fairies, cause plant circles in African deserts

Underground insect engineers create water traps, allowing rings of green grasses in the sand

By Susan Milius

- More than 2 years ago

The Namib Desert’s version of crop circles turns out to be the handiwork of sand-dwelling termites.

Natural rings of perennial grasses manage to survive in parched terrain of NamibRand, Namibia, thanks to a termite that creates areas of moisture within the sand.