Don’t toss pumpkins after Halloween. Follow these tips for recycling pumpkins for wildlife, including birds, butterflies, deer and squirrels.
Readers Share Ideas for Recycling Pumpkins for Wildlife
Halloween is approaching, so there’s a good chance you will have a pumpkin or two around your house. They make great fall decorations, but once the carving and trick-or-treating is over, don’t just toss them in the trash. There are lots of great ideas for recycling pumpkins to benefit wildlife in the weeks ahead.
Share Pumpkin Seeds with Birds
Many people roast and eat pumpkin seeds themselves, but you can also share them with birds. Larger backyard birds like blue jays love pumpkin seeds, too.
Roast them (no salt or seasoning, please!) and offer on a tray feeder or just sprinkle on the ground for birds to enjoy.
As suggested by a Birds & Blooms reader, cut off the top half of the pumpkin and fill the bottom half with birdseed. Place outside for the birds to enjoy.
Let the pumpkin halves dry and poke drainage holes to prevent moldy birdseed.
Feed the Squirrels
“I cut them open so the squirrels can eat the seeds and will stay away from my bird feeders for a while,” says reader Mike Froio of Rome, New York.
Share Pumpkins with Butterflies
In warmer climates, offer pumpkin flesh and pulp in your butterfly garden. Simply cut into small pieces and place in a shallow dish for fruit-loving butterflies like red-spotted purples to enjoy. In areas where butterflies are already gone for the winter,
Cut Up Pumpkins for Wildlife
You can also offer the pumpkin pieces for other wildlife like deer and rabbits. Place the cut-up pumpkin in an area where you can view the critters that come to feast on your pumpkin.
“I put them in an open field by our home where wildlife roam, and watch the animals enjoy this special fall treat,” says Lynn Smith of Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania.
Bridget Paris of Pilot Knob, New York, says, “I usually get most of my neighbors’ pumpkins, then I cut them up or break them in half for the deer to eat. I love to recycle.”
Feed Carved Pumpkins to Chickens
Backyard chickens will be thrilled by this special treat. Be sure to do this while your pumpkin is relatively fresh and has not started to form mold. Chickens love pumpkins seeds, too.
DIY Dog Treats
“I cut pumpkins into strips and dehydrate them for dog treats,” says Sue Adams of Black Diamond, Washington.
Donate Extras to a Local Charity
“After cutting my pumpkins in half so animals don’t get their heads stuck in them, I bring them to our local Audubon Society, where they’re fed to animals,” says Marjorie Cohen of Worcester, Massachusetts.
This educational blog is a series of informative articles from the Penn State Master Gardeners volunteers plus news concerning the group and their activities. For more information, click here.
