The Fairy Circles of Namibia

Aerial view of dozens of bare fairy circles ringed with grass in the orange sand of Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia

About 5 min readThousands of bare rings interrupt the Namib Desert’s grassland in near-perfect circles, and for decades termites took the blame. The strongest recent field evidence points instead to the grasses themselves competing for scarce water — a natural pattern, not a mystery, and the case is now counted as explained.