Is November a Day of Death and Decay? Let's find out

Well the title, I must admit, is a tad melodramatic, but also accurate.  As I drive through any major or minor cities in America (and I'm sure in other countries that celebrate Halloween, this could also be true), I see a massive graveyard, reminders of the debauchery that is Halloween.

Man, I love Halloween.

But, before you start freaking out, running for the hills, and bunking down militia style, because my last paragraph has you thinking that some freaking evil hellish cult is driving through major towns killing everyone in November, you should first ask yourself, what looks so alive on Halloween, but quickly or slowly die off as the weeks of November pass by?

I, of course am talking about Jack-O-Lanterns, as shown in the picture (obtained from wikipedia.org).  Pumpkins that have been carved into all sorts of face and designs for celebration of Halloween night, but which, in many cases are let to rot on front porches for days, if not weeks to come.

Its actually a pretty sad sight, a once jovial smiling Jack-O-Lantern, now frowning, his face a mash of anguish as the body slowly begins to cave in on itself, and as flies begin to lay their larva into their body. 

I surely wouldn't want this to happen to me :), it is pretty gross.

So please give your poor Jack-O-Lanterns a proper burial, or at the very least toss them in the garbage.

But then again, if you have kids, you can use these dying gourds as a science teaching lesson into some of the biology that occurs in response to decay.  Could be interesting.

While gross and somewhat sad, especially in regards to,  lets say,  the passing of family pet or a relative, death and decay is also important process that can help us understand the process how organic material is recycled back into Mother Earth.

How, in a sense, we are all immortal, we simply transform.

Read more about decay and decomposition.