Ok, so I live in a rural area, with an adjacent abandoned property which had a man and a dog live there years ago, there was a fire, maybe 3-4 years ago, and the house he lived in burned down completely, I believe he left then, and at the time I was oblivious as to the circumstances or what actually happened. Fast forward a bit, I would sometimes walk to that lot, it’s nice and quiet overgrown with brush now, a hollow hole where the house stood, some broken china pieces found, petrified bones, the feeling on that lot is a bit earie but could just be my mind. I’ve gone there a lot through, my dog keeps pulling to go there all the time, and I kept getting drawn to it many times, walked there many times, explored etc. fast forward a bit more, I discover creepy hollows due to reaserching because of a lot of odd things were happening in my life when I turned 33 in the year 2013 and started seeing 3 33 everywhere like the # wouldn’t leave me alone and it was like $h@t hit the fan and never let up, anyway, way way later after going to shrinks, mediums, phychic trying everything, reading, reaserching, so much conflicting info everywhere, I accidentally came across Ch which is more recent... so I’ve read a lot on the forums, I reasearch things to the nitty gritty but then it just gets confusing, started off with spirits and spells, a lot of protective measures etc... now fast forward a bit again, last week I go to that lot adjacent to mine and in the middle in plain view there is this tree completely covered in tiny holes from top to bottom of trunk, at the bottom is what appears to be a wire that was used to keep the guys dog tethered to the tree years ago. Now my husband just blew this off as a woodpecker and I partially agreed and even found this when I googled for info https://www.dirtdoctor.com/garden/Holes ... vq3221.htm as that is approximately what the holes look like so technically there IS a logical explanation, IF it weren’t for the fact that I’ve been to that area so many times before and never saw this tree before and IF IT WASNT FOR THE SECOND ODD THING which is what looked like a large circle of leveled grass and brush around it, I wouldn’t exactlly call it a crop circle, I’m naturally skeptical, but it is definetlly a large circular area very symmetrical with tree very much smack in the center, with the brush and grass leveled completely down to the ground into an opened space that can be freely walked in....which was not there before (everything was covered in tall brush and grass and spikes which made it difficult to walk around at all there in the first place which might be why I never saw the tree before) has anyone aver seen this or have an inkling or idea at what this could be considering all the variables? It really does not help my nerves that about 2 weeks before I found this I was watching a few Netflix shows like “stranger thing” with the portals and the portals in the trees to the upside down lol, and I’m pretty NOT sensitive to energies, I still can’t really feel my spirits or spells, however this place, when I go there has a very dark feeling, like I can feel it in my stomach since before I even learned about this type of stuff, necessity pushed me into this years ago, my life before was about fashion and shoes lol

Mmm can you post a picture of the tree and the crop circle? Perhaps closer and farther views?

The dog tether would probably have a lot to do with the cleared area: keeping the grass trampled down and the ground compacted, which would make it harder for new seeds to get started.

Also, do you know what kind of tree it is?
Some types of tree (such as black walnut, I believe) can produce a soil toxin that will prevent most plants from growing in its shade

Yes, a picture would have been smart while I was there last week, didn’t have phone on me,now it has snowed and I’d have to go back there for a picture, maybe once I do the snow cover might actually show the circle better, I’ll have to go in about 2 days as we are going out of state right now to see family for New Years. About the god tether, it was really short, about 2-3 feet, I’m assuming even if there was a longer chain attached at some point, it was the way the straw/brush was levelled that makes it not seem like a dog running around a circumference and also that I’ve been there so many times, it’s not like a huge lot, it is possible I may have missed it all those times, but it was just boom there one day, so I’m not sure, it would have been really hard to miss, it just really caught my attention and a weird feeling I got before the visual even sank into my brain. But I will go take pics, it’s freezing here in pa, Tuesday hopefully I’ll get out there again, thanks so much for the replies hopefully I’m just being hypersensitive/paranoid and making associatins with all the weird stuff that’s been going on lately in my life that are way too much to be coincidences and this one may actually be just that lol

Some kinds of ant will clear all competing plants away from the vicinity of the one they depend on. Having said that, I don't know if those types of ants live in North America, so that might not be an answer to the question. The observation about the dog tether as a possible explanation of the dead-zone circle sounds spot-on to me, though. (Poor dog. )

Holes in the trunk could be a sign of insect infestation, and can be caused by either the bugs themselves or the woodpeckers going after the bugs.

It's winter, so of course the trees are bare now, but when it's spring/summer, what kind of condition is the tree in? Does it leaf out fully or only partially? If the tree is not entirely healthy, bug infestation could be a reason why, or else bugs could try to make their homes in an already-diseased tree.