Halloween might have a few less Jack-O-Lanterns this year, because this summers's hurricane killed a large number of this years crop. This "Great Pumpkin Shortage" came about due to spring time floods delaying the planting, which meant many were still unpickable when Hurricane Irene reared her ugly head. Then, to make matters worse, a fungus called phytophthora infected another large amount of the pumpkin population, further reducing the number of useful pumpkins.
Phytophthora Capsici is a water-mold that feeds off the tissues of the host plant. This particular variety infects plants of the family Cucurbitaceae, which include plants such as squash, cucumbers and, of course, pumpkins. Of course many people have heard of Hurricane Irene and the devastation it caused up and down the East Coast, and it seems she hated Halloween.
I feel this is a sad bit of holiday news, and this probably means that there will not be as many Jack-O-Lanterns this year. On the other hand, it really is not as bad as a candy shortage or something similar. Honestly, I feel this will become more of a "funny thing that happened to me" kind of event, and hopefully, the pumpkin crop will grow back.
