Megan's Nature Nook
Nature Notes, Phenology, Photography, Fun Facts, Trips, Maybe Even a Bad Joke or Two... and More!
If you’re like me, this year I was stuck between fall and winter for a while. The cooler temps and snow make me think of Christmas time, but the bright pumpkins and gourds decorating the front of the house reminded me it was still fall. Last week at the start of December I decided it was finally time to say good bye to the last of the pumpkins we had. Each year after our carved Halloween pumpkins start getting droopy, and Thanksgiving has come and gone, we bring the pumpkins out to the woods to compost and possibly feed a critter or two. I set up my game camera to see who I would catch partaking in this after Thanksgiving feast. We were surprised by all the critters we had! Critter Role Call: Squirrels Male Northern Cardinal Cottontail Rabbit 2 Opossums A rather large raccoon Gray Fox Red Fox Doe & this year’s fawn Spike buck 2 four-point bucks 3 eight-point bucks Ten-point buck I expected a few deer and some squirrels, but not quite the variety we had! It has been fun seeing who’s visiting the pumpkin feast. You might be wondering at this point, they’re just pumpkins, why does everyone like them so much? For starters, every part is edible: the seeds, stem, guts, flesh, and skin – even the flowers and leaves from the vines. Secondly, they’re good for you! They are high in fiber and a good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Potassium, Protein, and iron. All things that will help to keep the wildlife healthy. Pumpkins are a fruit, and a member of the gourd family. They are native to Central America and Mexico but have been growing in North America for five thousand years and are now grown on six continents (every continent but Antarctica). Pumpkin Fun Facts:
2 Comments
Leslie Goble
12/9/2018 08:55:24 am
It was so much fun seeing the critters that ate your pumpkins. We put out pumpkins every season and see deer eating them. I'll bet there are many other visitors that we don't see at night! Thank you for sharing!
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Megan Betcher
12/9/2018 03:13:23 pm
Thanks for reading, Leslie! I was quite surprised by all the critters that visited! You never know what's in the backyard!
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