California Crop Circle Sparks UFO Talk An unexplained crop circle in Salinas, Calif., has captured the curiosity of alien enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists across the nation. The patterns were noticed by aerial photographer Julie Belanger, who told ABC News she was shocked to discover them during a flyover on Monday. Aerial images show bizarre markings in a field in Salinas, Calif., Dec. 31, 2013 (Credit: 111th Aerial Photography & Video) Credit: 111th Aerial Photography & Video Adding to the mystert is a video posted on Youtube that shows two friends coming across the patterns after seeing green lights emanate from a field. A representative from local Echelon Security Co. told the San Jose Mercury News he was hired to protect the land from rowdiness, but could not provide the identity of the landowner. A spokesperson for Echelon declined to provide further comment to ABC News.