The Decay of Pumpkins

Every October I get a couple small pumpkins to keep on my desk at work. Rather than carving them, I draw faces on them with a permanent marker. The pumpkins will not spoil as fast and I can keep them around for a good month. They start out like so…

Pumpkin Decay

After Halloween 2011 was over, I took the pumpkins (now with faces on them) outside and set them next to a tree rather than throw them out. I figured animals or something would eat them as has happened in years previous. However, this year that did not happen. November, December and January went by, snow came and went, and other than a couple small gnawed areas, nothing touched the pumpkins. They were not even decaying very fast despite the fairly mild winter in Michigan this year. This next photo was taken on January 30, 2012.

From then on I started taking a photo every week or so.

Then, on March 9, 2012, someone cut down the large tree that I placed the pumpkins under. After it was down I noticed one of the pumpkins was still there. The other was gone, probably buried under saw dust and branches or smashed completely. The other pumpkin had a crack in the shell.

On March 13th I noticed someone (or something) had cracked the pumpkin open completely, revealing a strange almost petrified center dry to the touch and a very thin shell.

The face, still visible on the shell, smiling and getting ready to welcome the Spring. Only a dry husk of its former self, I am still curious as to why nothing ate it before the winter came. One thing is certain, I will try the same thing this Halloween.