Summer Garden Plants for the Desert

Corn, a great late summer crop for the desert garden.

Here in the Sonoran Desert gardening is quite different from what typical temperate gardens.  The summer heat and sun intensity are so extreme most summer plants of the temperate region, such as cucumber and tomatoes, are easily scorched by the sun and killed.  It can be difficult growing some of these plants without shade.  Corn is another example of a crop that doesn't produce well in the summer.  The corn plant absolutely loves the heat and sun of the desert, and certain varieties can tolerate the dryness as well.   Oddly though, producing corn cobs with seed in them can be a huge problem in the summer though.  Heat and dryness can cause a major problem with pollination, preventing seeds from growing on a cob.  It is quite disappointing to plant corn in April, May, or June then to have it tassel and produce silks during the peak of the summer, only to produce cobs without hardly any seed on them.  The reason for this is that the dryness causes corn silks to dry-out before they can be pollinated.  Temperatures round 100 degrees or higher also kill corn pollen.  Both of these things always result in extremely poor corn production.

Despite this, corn is a great desert crop.  It does well with the heat, intense sun, and dryness.  To make it productive however, you just have to plant it at the right time of year.  The most productive times to plant corn are in early March so the corn is done pollinating before temperatures consistently break the 100 degree mark.  With the year round growing season a second crop of corn can be planted in late July, after the extreme heat of summer has passed and once the monsoon rains start.  If planted in this way to avoid pollination during the extreme heat of the summer corn can be extremely productive in the desert.  Even at the ideal times of year though corn production can be greatly helped by hand pollination.

Okra, another great desert summer crop.

Okra is another garden plant that seems to love everything about growing in a desert summer garden.  It doesn't need extreme amounts of water and it absolutely thrives in the extreme heat and intense sun.  In-fact, it seems the more sun and heat Okra can get the faster it grows and the more it produces.  If planted in March, Okra will begin producing in May and continue with harvests through the end of October.  During peak production, say June through September, okra will need to be harvested every other day or so.  The odd thing about okra is that if you don't harvest it, it will stop producing.  So the more often you pick the more it will produce.  Unfortunately, okra can be quite irritating to harvest with its prickles which sort of remind me of stinging nettles.  The prickles are probably worse for me than most people though being I am allergic to the plant and it can make my sinuses and eyes go crazy.

Armenian cucumbers, an unbelievable summer crop for the desert garden.

Armenian cucumbers are the last amazing summer garden crop I will mention here.  These are different from regular cucumbers and are actually a type of melon.  They taste somewhat like a cross between a cucumber and a melon without the sweetness.  As with okra, armenian's don't need huge amounts of water and they absolutely love the summer heat and sun.  The more they can get the better.  A single armenian cucumber plant can easily overtake a whole garden and produce tens of pounds more than any family could ever eat.  For some reason, some plants don't always do well in my experience.  But plants that become established can simply go crazy.  Their productivity is simply amazing.  If planted in May, they seem to do best July through September.

I have also found that certain varieties of summer and winter squash also do well through most of the summer.  Summer squash especially can be a great producer but generally need more water than the above mentioned crops.  Beans also, especially bush beans don't seem to mind the heat at all.  If anyone knows of other crops that grow well in the desert summer heat and sun I would love to know about it.

Monsoon Season and the Drought

Across the country we have been facing severe droughts, the severity of which have not been seen for over two decades.  Here in the Sonoran Desert we also have been experiencing a severe drought which has recently been relieved, at least temporarily, by the beginning of monsoon season rainfall.  Drought in the desert is sort of an odd thing.  In comparison with other regions drought is a constant pattern in deserts and actually makes a desert a desert.  What else would define a desert a part from lack of rainfall?   Every year most deserts will go through a period of time where no precipitation falls at all.  In the Sonoran Desert that almost always is late April through June.  The Mojave and Great Basin Deserts go almost all summer without any rain at all.  These differing rainfall patterns are actually part of the reason we have different types of desert.  While drought, or lack of moisture may constantly be a problem in the desert, some years are worse than others.  This year for example has been pretty extreme.  Late winter and early spring rains where next to nothing.  This meant higher temperatures due to the lower humidity causing things to dry out even more.  By the time early July hit the desert around Phoenix had only about half an inch of rain for the year!  This is way less than the typical three to four inches of rain received during the first six months of the year.  Fortunately, on July fourth we received a major rainfall which hopefully began to break this dry spell.  More rain fell on most of the desert than had fallen in the previous six months combined.

Normally, late winter and early spring rainfall helps sustain the desert until monsoon season.  This year however, the lack of rain has taken its toll on nature.  Normally, Palo Verde and Ironwood trees are able to maintain their leaves through June and July.  While it isn't that unusual for Palo Verdes to loose all their leaves it isn't typical in this part of the Sonoran Desert, but this year only a handful of trees held onto their leaves.  Ironwoods very rarely loose their leaves but this year the drought caused the majority of leaves to fall off of the trees.  This also resulted in extremely poor seed production.  The story is the same for nearly all the other plants in the desert also.  As a direct result, many desert birds and animals will also be harmed by the lack of food productivity as well as the lack of water.  Earlier this year I noted extremely poor Wolfberry production which likely had a negative effect on birds.

On July fourth however, three quarters to one inch of rain fell breaking this trend.  Since then we have had two other rainfall adding up to at most half an inch.  This immediately relieved drought conditions, causing a rapid bounce back of the plants.  Within a week the Ironwoods had greened up and added leaves.  Palo Verdes also have sprouted leaves along with Wolfberries.  Cacti also have plumped up as they soak in the extra moisture.  Everything seems to have awaken with the rain, clouds, and slightly cooler temperatures.  So hopefully this early monsoon rain continues.  At least part of the reason for the lack of rain earlier this year was the presence of La Nina conditions in the Pacific Ocean.  In June however La Nina broke and we seem to be trending towards an El Nino to start up in the next several months.  Often this means greater rainfall during the winter months, but only time will tell.

An Unusually Warm Spring

Ripe Saguaro Cactus fruit a month early.

Warm weather conditions have been present across the Norther Hemisphere this spring.  This has resulted in a lot of unusually early blooming activity.  Here in the Sonoran Desert everything seems to be two weeks to one month ahead of schedule due to the warm weather.  Signs of this started showing up probably in March when I noticed some of the plants blooming quite a bit early.  First, the hedgehog cacti bloomed about four weeks early in mid-March.  Then Buckhorn Cholla bloomed a few weeks earlier than normal.  Cholla flower buds matured so quickly this year that I entirely missed harvesting any buds.  Normally, cholla buds are available to harvest even into the beginning of May but this year the entire harvest was finished towards the end of April.  Saguaro Cacti also began blooming mid-April, a month a head of schedule.  Today, I found quite a few ripe Saguaro Fruit.  Normally this fruit doesn't ripen for another four or five weeks during the hottest part of the summer.  Ironwoods and Palo Verde trees also bloomed weeks ahead of schedule.  

Hedgehog Cactus flowering a month early in the Sonoran Desert.

Other places in North America have also been experiencing early blooms.  In the Midwest, Morel Mushrooms popped up in forests four to six weeks ahead of schedule!  Fruit trees also bloomed six weeks ahead of schedule.  Unfortunately, this extremely early bloom was followed by freezing temperatures that killed the flowers or immature fruits, so fruit harvests will be very poor later this year.  Last week, when I visited the eastern deciduous forest in Missouri the forest looked like it was late June or early July with all the leaves on the trees.  According to weather patterns the farmers also are quite a bit behind schedule, but we really don't know what that will do to crop production this summer if warm weather continues.  There is a possibility that the normally dry late summer will arrive earlier and stay longer, hurting crop production.

Morel Mushroom.

So what is causing all this warm weather that results in early blooms and leaf-outs?  Global warming?  That is a good possibility, but it is hard to point a finger directly at that.  Most likely, global warming is contributing to the warm weather, but it also is probably just an unusually warm year on top of that.  The simple fact that nearly the entire Norther Hemisphere is experiencing such warm temperatures strongly suggests it is more than just an oddly warm year.  Such major and wide spread changes in weather don't just happen unless large changes in overall climate are happening.  It will be interesting to say the least to see how weather and plant and animal patterns change in years to come as the climate warms.  Many of the agricultural problems we see this year are likely small tastes of what is to come as the climate changes.

Sonoran Desert in the Spring

Hedgehog Cactus in bloom.

Its spring time here in the Sonoran Desert, and it sure is dry.  Normally it is at least a little wetter around here this time of year but with only about two inches of rain since December and the recent break into 90 degree temperatures thing are bone dry.  Right now Brittlebush is in bloom but the number and size of flowers are greatly reduced due to lack of rain.  These are typically some of the most reliable and abundant flowers in the desert, often having spectacular blooms.  In-fact, there have been a few springs where I have looked at small isolated desert mountain ranges from a distance and they actually appeared to be slightly yellowish in coloration due to the abundance of Brittlebush flowers.  Unfortunately, this is not one of those years.  Lower in elevation in the valleys and basins Creosote Bush can also be found in bloom.  While not extremely showy or spectacular it does dapple the landscape reliably year to year being it is the very definition of a desert hardy plant species.

Brittlebush flower.

Most cacti will also be entering their blooming seasons very soon.  Hedgehog Cactus is just finishing up blooming with their beautiful purple flowers. Buckhorn Cholla is right in the middle of blooming currently.  I am planning on making a hiking trip in the next few days to collect some cholla flower buds for eating.  Normally there are tons of cholla buds right now but this year most seem to have finished blooming early.  Some different locations though might have more flowers in bud and bloom though.  Oddly, I also found an area of a few acres where the Saguaro's were in intense bloom, about a month ahead of schedule.  A part from this area though I couldn't find a single Saguaro in flower, lots of flower bud starting though.

Saguaro Cactus  flower.

The dry weather can also be attested to by the presence of yellow leaved Ocotillos.  Ocotillos normally only have leaves when the soil is sufficiently wet after rain.  When the soil dries out, the leaves turn yellow and fall off, causing the plant no harm.  This is a normal adaptation to dry desert conditions, allowing the plant to survive drought.  Right now, the yellow leaves are quite pretty.

An Ocotillo with yellow leaves.  The lack of rain is causing this Ocotillo to loose its leaves, a normal occurance and adaptation do dry desert conditions.

Over the next month we will head into the driest and hottest time of the year.  Not much of any hope for rain in the near future, only dry heat and the return of the scorching desert sun.  To begin that season though the Palo Verdes, Ironwoods, and Saguaros will all bloom making for great flower viewing and bird watching.  After that comes some of the easiest gathering of wild desert foods such as Mesquite pods, Palo Verde beans, and later Saguaro fruit.  Starting now, I'm going to try my best to enjoy the cool morning air by sneaking in some early hikes.

1957 BBC's April's Fools Day Spagetti Farming

Thought this was one of the funnier things I came across on April's Fools day.  Apparently it did fool a lot of  British people into trying to grow their own spaghetti trees when it originally aired on April first in 1957.  Below is another humorous spaghetti farming video.

February in the Sonoran Desert

Fiddleneck and Mexican Poppy.

Well it has been a very dry past few months here in the Sonoran Desert.  There has been no significant rainfall in the Phoenix area since mid December when we received about one inch of rainfall.  It also has been slightly warmer than usual which has forced many of the wildflowers that germinated in December into bloom early.  Even so, the weather has been absolutely beautiful for months straight.  Every day is just another day in paradise… I just wish it would rain! 

Normally, there is not a lot blooming in the desert right now.  Good rainfall in December followed by months with no significant rainfall though has resulted in a few small wildflowers blooming here and there though.  Desert wildflowers are highly adapted to this type of rainfall pattern.  Of course they grow best with more rain but still have the ability to produce after only one good rainfall.  Most Sonoran Desert wildflowers will lay dormant as seeds in the soil for years.  Only when temperatures are just right and there is sufficient rainfall will these seeds germinate.  Seeds can patiently wait decades for just the right germination conditions.  If after germination no rainfall is received the flower can quickly produce a few tiny flowers and seed before dying in the desert drought.  If more rainfall is received the plant can grow much larger, produce more flowers and more seeds.  This year with our lack of rain there are quite a few tiny wildflowers beginning to show themselves.  I have found Mexican Poppy, Lupine, Scorpionweed, Fiddleneck, and Small-Flowered Eurcrypta.  Many only a few inches tall.  In better rainfall years these flowers can often reach a foot or more.  Of the more woody plants Wolfberry is the only one in I noticed blooming in abundance, and the bees sure seem to like it.

Lupine

Desert Mistletoe berries also are ripe across the desert right now.  Many Mesquites, Ironwoods, and Palo Verde trees are infected with this parasite.  Right now Phainopeplas can be found perching atop many of these infected trees and eating the abundance of reddish berries.  Of all the desert birds, the Phainopepla is the fondest and has the most intimate relationship with mistletoe.  Of course the berries feed the bird, but mistletoe also depends on the bird to distribute the seeds once they pass through the digestive tract.  There are many other birds in the desert being the northward migration is beginning.  In-fact, the other day I saw an American Robin.  If you are lucky enough to be near some water there are an abundance of waterfowl migrating though.  Canadian Geese, American Coot, Mallards, Ring-Necked, and Redheads are all relatively common right now. 

Scorpion flower

As we move into March it looks like it will continue to be dry.  Without rain, wildflower blooms should peak within the next three weeks or so.  Typically we have a decent rain mid-March that will extend the wildflower season a little longer though.  But come late March and April our days of beautiful weather are numbered as the heat begins creeping up on us.  

What Your Body Does to Alcohol: Alcohol Dehydrogenase

The enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) is found only in the liver and converts alcohol (ethanol) into acetaldehyde, then acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) converts acetaldehyde into acetic acid (commonly known as vinegar) which is harmless to the body.  

Some of you may have had a few drinks on new years eve...  And some may be wondering what happens to alcohol once it enters your body.  And how does your body get rid of that alcohol once it enters your system?  To be sure, alcohol is a toxin which amazingly most peoples bodies are relatively adapted to.  Though still, your body must get rid of the alcohol within your body, otherwise it might kill you.

With any alcoholic drink, the alcohol is rapidly absorbs into the blood stream through the stomach and small intestine.  Once in the blood, alcohol rapidly travels through out the body.  The most notable and immediate effects on the body take place in the central nervous system, the brain and spinal cord.  These organs are depressed, or slowed down, by alcohol and cause the rest of the body to also slow down.  This results in confusion and lack of coordination.  If these and other organs are exposed to too much alcohol for too long the alcohol will kill the cells.  The cells of the liver are the only cells in the body with any defense against alcohol poisoning.  Liver cells produce the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase which converts alcohol into acetaldehyde.  Acetaldehyde is then converted into acetic acid, more commonly known as vinegar, which is harmless to the body.  The body then can excrete the acetic acid out through urine.  The liver process about one half ounce of alcohol per hour, and drinking more alcohol faster then your liver can process it will result in inebriation, alcohol poisoning, and in large amounts even death.  The liver thus processes alcohol out of the blood for the entire body.  Again, alcohol is a poison to which your body is adapted to in small amounts, large amounts will kill you simply because the liver can't keep up.  Without the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase in your liver though, even small amounts of alcohol could kill a person.

Some people have livers that produce more alcohol dehydrogenase when compared to others.  People that produce more alcohol dehydrogenase in their livers are able to process more alcohol and therefore not get drunk as easily.  Some people produce extremely low levels of alcohol dehydrogenase and therefore are extremely susceptible to drunkenness and alcoholism.  Some ethic groups genetically do not produce much alcohol dehydrogenase and are therefore very prone to alcoholism.  Interestingly, several types of mushrooms from the genus Coprinopsis contain a chemical called coprine, which inhibits the livers ability to process alcohol.  Inky cap mushrooms are the most common species consumed within this genus.  Coprine inhibits acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and without this enzyme functioning, acetaldehyde can accumulate to toxic levels.

So hopefully you didn't test your livers ability to produce alcohol dehydrogenase too much this new years. And hopefully you are one to setting some good new years resolutions.  In my next post I will be discussing one of my resolutions.  And happy new years to you!

Winter in the Sonoran Desert

A winter rain shower in the Sonoran Desert.

Seasons in the Sonoran Desert don’t follow the typical patterns found further to the north.  At the very beginning of December though we make a rather predictable transition from dry and warm fall weather to cooler and wetter winter weather.  The start of the Sonoran Desert winter is almost like clockwork with temperature and rainfall.  Within the last few days of November through the second week of December low temperatures begin to dip close to the freezing mark and a very predictable winter rain shower waters the desert.  The cooler and wetter conditions will continue through February before the desert begins to warm-up again.  

Usually the first indicator that winter has arrived is the arrival of freezing temperatures.  Of course you can identify freezing temperatures by looking at your thermometer, but there are also some biological indicators you can look out for.  Some desert plants such as Ironwood cannot tolerate temperatures very far below zero.  Freezing temperatures will cause Ironwood leaves to yellow and fall off.  This is not spectacular in any sense compared to how deciduous trees in the east change color.  To me the tree just looks like a sickly yellow.  Other plants may also show evidence of freezing with similar yellowing.  Another indicator of cold temps is the lack of reptile activity with many in hibernation.  Most “cold-blooded” organisms require the desert heat to stay active but come the end of November temperatures are just too cold.  

Winter rain shower soaking the ground.

One of the most exciting signs of the start of winter is the very predictable rain shower that happens anywhere from the last few days of November through the second week of December.  If my memory is correct we have received this rain shower six out of the past seven years.  The year we didn’t receive it we had not even a trace of rain from October through March.  The rest of those years we typically received about one-half to two inches over a one or two day period.  This is the one time of year that you can expect the dry washes to flow for a few hours during the peak of the rain and this year has been no exception.  About one inch of rain fell on December 12th and 13th causing most of the washes to run.  Water running through these washes quickly is absorbed into the sediments so washes only run for a very short period of time.  The water is not lost however, but is rather stored in the sediments for many months.  The larger the flow the larger the volume of water is that is stored in the sediments.  This water can persist through many months of drought helping deep rooted plants survive high temperatures and bone dry conditions on the surface.  The denser vegetation around dry washes are typically there because of this water stored deep in the sediments.  

Rain this time of year will also saturate the soils and the cooler temperatures will prevent the soils from drying out too quickly.  If about one-half inch or more of rain is received a massive number of seeds that lay dormant in the soil will germinate.  These seeds will often wait years and even decades, simply waiting for the right conditions to germinate.  Seeds from different plant species require specific temperatures and amounts of moisture in order to germinate.  Amazingly, these seeds are not tricked into germinating with rain coming at the wrong time of year.  Winter ephemerals, as they are called, wait for cooler temperatures and a significant rainfall in order to germinate.  With one inch falling across most of the desert we should see a profusion of tiny green plants within a few weeks.  These tiny plants could possibly result in a major spring wildflower bloom.  The trick however is that rain must continue to fall at regular intervals through March so these new sprouts survive.  Without rain the sprouts will shrivel-up and die.  A typical winter has at least one rainstorm to germinate a large number of wildflower seeds but does not have enough rain in the following months to allow them to survive until spring when they can produce spectacular displays.  Desert ephemeral wildflowers are highly adapted to this, having the ability to produce tiny flowers very quickly to made seed under dry conditions.  And as the name ephemeral suggests, these flowers are here today with wet conditions and gone tomorrow once dry conditions return.  It has been six years since we had a good spring wildflower bloom.  Right now conditions are good for another spring bloom but only if we receive rain every few weeks for the next several months.

A hedgehog cactus, common to the Sonoran Desert.

The cooler temperatures makes large animals and birds more active during the day when it is warmest.  Wetter conditions also provide more water across the landscape for larger animals.  With dry conditions in most Octobers and Novembers most mule deer will stay close to water holes in the mountains.  However, with washes flowing and forming new waterholes further away from the mountains the deer will venture further out making them easier to find.  Some of the best places to look for deer and javelina are along dry washes being these are sort of natural trails for these animals.  Rain will also be good for helping the survival of young gambles quail and if rain persists the overall population can grow significantly, simply because there is more water and more food as a result of the increased moisture.  

So winter in the Sonoran Desert is a little like Paradise.  We have rain and beautiful temperatures which make a day in the desert very enjoyable.  Quite different from what northerners are experiencing this time of year.  However, northerners, don’t complain too much when winter and spring end in the desert the nearly intolerable heat and dryness of summer will return to the desert.  But of course, the grass is always greener somewhere else...  So enjoy your weather no matter what it is.  I’ll be enjoying the deserts winter while I can.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!  Here on the Practical Biology Blog we try to take a biological perspective on things, turning the ordinary into interesting biological education.  And of course, eating is biology, so Thanksgiving is an easy lesson in biology.  What we consider today as a traditional Thanksgiving meal really is no reflection of what the original Thanksgiving meal looked like.  If we do our history, however, we can come pretty close to figuring out what the original 1621 Thanksgiving meal looked like at Plymouth.  History tells us that the original Pilgrims, especially during their first year in the New World, were primarily farmers, gardeners, hunters, and gatherers.  Some of these skills, such as gardening and farming, they would have learned in England.  Most of them they would have had to learn from the Native Americans.  Even skills they learned in the Old World would have had to be relearned in the context of the new conditions in America.  

A little more history.  When the original Pilgrims landed in Plymouth in 1620 they barely survive the winter.  If it were not for them finding a large stash of hidden corn in an abandoned Wampanag Native American village they all might have died.  I must add here, the Pilgrims were a peaceful Christian people, they did not kill the Native Americans and did not steal their food.  In the year to come the Pilgrims and Wampanag people developed a peaceful relationship through which the Pilgrims learned much about how to survive in the New World.  Remember at this point, the New World was nothing like it is today.  In 1620 and 21 the New World was a very hostile place to Europeans.  The winter was far harsher then anything they had encountered, there were no markets for food or established agricultural system, no stores for supplies or tools, no houses, and no buildings.  It was pretty much what we would consider wilderness and everything they needed had to come from the land or the little they carried over from England.  These Pilgrims had no clue how to survive with meager supplies in a wilderness they had never encountered before.

So that first year was extremely difficult.  In-fact, it was so difficult that normally modestly dressed Christian Pilgrims were described as being dressed in rags or nearly naked.  They had virtually nothing that first year.  But after a peaceful relationship with the Wampanag people was developed they began to learn how to hunt, fish, trap, grow food, and gather food from the forest plants.  During that first year, the Pilgrims learned to live on the land so well that by fall they had an abundance of food.  During that first year they went from having next to nothing and no real idea of how to survive to learning how to survive and having an abundance of food.  Anything could have easily wiped the entire Pilgrim group out during that first year but it didn’t, and they did as every good Christian should, they thanked God.  A big part of this thankfulness took place with a three day celebration full of food, games, and just having a thankful good time among themselves and the Native Americans they befriended.  This celebration became known later as the first Thanksgiving.

So the first Thanksgiving meal would have been composed of food items grown and gathered by hand, not bought from a store.  The meal also would have been heavily Native American influenced being that is who taught them how to gather their food.  Some of you may be wondering at this point, what does all this have to do with biology?  Much in every way.  Of course gardening is biology as well as living off the land.  All of this had its context in the Eastern Deciduous Forest ecosystem of New England.  So all of the plants and animals they gathered would have only come from the local environment.  We do know the Wapanag people contributed five deer to the first Thanksgiving.  The Pilgrims also hunted a huge number of what they called fowl.  Fowl likely was duck, goose, turkey, and other birds.  Other than that we really don’t know exactly what was on that first menu.  We can take clues from the local environment of what probably was on that menu through.  It is also very likely that they ate eel, lobster, mussels, and fish.  As for plant products there were also probably nuts such as acorns, walnuts, hickory nuts, and chestnuts.  Fruits and berries gathered from the forest would have been out of season during the late fall when the celebration took place.  There would have also been an abundance of garden produce including squash, pumpkin, corn, leeks, carrots, parsnips, cabbage, and turnips.  Some of these plants were given to them by the Native Americans while others would have been brought over as seed from Europe.  Also interesting is that the corn would not have been sweet corn, it would have been ground up and served as cornbread, mush or pudding.  There was also very little or more likely no sugar.  So no sweet desserts except for what could have been sweetened with molasses.  No pies, no cranberry sauce, and no sweet potatoes with marsh mellows on top.  Maybe a little wine and beer but most likely only water (The Pilgrims didn’t have a problem with moderate consumption of alcohol).  

If you think about it, this would be quite an interesting meal.  I mean, who wouldn’t want lobster and eel for lunch three days in a row! Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween! A biologists view of Halloween

Halloween is one of those weird "holidays" no one really knows why we do it.  And oddly, I'm going to try and give a biological perspective to it.  Often we think of the celebration of death or the occult and all the weird things that center around those as the "reason" for Halloween.  Fortunately, that isn't entirely true, though their is that element of it.  Our version of Halloween in the United States today is really a hodge-podge of all sorts of holidays from all over the world.  Historically, Halloween like celebrations were much closer to Thanksgiving celebration except with more singing, dancing, games, and fun stuff like that.  Many cultures have their own version of the holiday to celebrate the end of and abundance of the harvest season.  This is partially where all the pumpkins come in being they often are harvested in October.  So the end of the harvest which does line-up well with the end of October is a great biological perspective we can have of Halloween.  Honestly, Thanksgiving in the end of November is far too late to be celebrating the summers harvest (OK just my opinion!).

Jack-o-lanterns obviously are a well established Halloween traditions that also rooted in the harvest celebration.  This tradition was founded in Britain and Ireland during the 1800's.  For hundreds of years prior to this people made turnip lanterns, which seems much less exciting and much more difficult to make.  These vegetable lanterns were part of a pagan form of trick-or-treating.

One of the latest Halloween traditions, and one of the most exciting I think, is the growing of gigantic pumpkins.  People that grow monster pumpkins learn all kinds of secrets about how to breed and grow these giants.  The entire process can be quite intense and people have been producing pumpkins over 1000 pounds for many years now.  Competitive growing of pumpkins is advancing in the United States so fast that world records are made nearly every year.  This fall the world record was broken again with a 1810 pound gourd!  It won't many years before a 2000 pound is grown.

"Everything you want to know about pumpkins"

http://www.backyardgardener.com/pumkin.html

http://www.foodmuseum.com/halloween.html

Dentists also give us another perspective on Halloween.  As you would guess, they hate it because too much candy really does rot the teeth.  But several dental studies have asked the question, "How can we eat trick-or-treat candy and not rot our teeth?"  Common sense tells us that maybe if you eat it a little bit every night it will be better for you.  In this case however common sense is wrong and research has shown it is better to gorge yourself and eat it all in one night.  Which I am sure most people want to do but rather use some misguided "common sense."  When I tell people this they say, "Of course, then you will get sick and never want to eat it again."  While there probably is some truth to that, the real reason dentists say it is better to eat it in one night is because then your teeth are only covered in sugar for one night as opposed to being covered in a little sugar every night for a longer time.  Here is an article on the subject:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45080807/ns/health-childrens_health/#.Tqsl50Mr2so