Pumpkin Party for Wildlife Day – November 1st 🎃

Halloween might be over, but your pumpkins still have one last job to do! But we are declaring November 1st as Pumpkin Party for Wildlife Day. With just a little creativity, your jack-o’-lanterns can become food, shelter, and enrichment for the wildlife around your home. 

Dark-eyed juncos with pumpkin. Photo by Kristen Martyn. 

Here a few ways to repurpose your pumpkin for a wildlife party: 

🎃 1. Save the Seeds

If you’re a last-minute carver (we get it!), don’t throw out all those seeds. Birds love pumpkin seeds! Roast a batch just for them — plain, without salt or seasoning. Bake at 300°F for about 45 minutes, let them cool, then offer them in a tray feeder or even place them back inside a hollowed pumpkin. This is a great activity for kids, too — from gutting to roasting to watching which birds arrive.

Blue Jay on a pumpkin feeder. Photo by Kristen Martyn. 

🎃 2. Make a Pumpkin Feeder

Already carved your pumpkin? Perfect! Post-Halloween night, it can become a feeder. Open the top and fill it with bird seed or shelled peanuts. You can even spread Bark Butter® on the outside for an extra treat.

• Hang it with twine by punching holes near the rim.

• Or place it directly on a deck, garden bed, or tree stump.
  You’ll have chickadees, jays, and nuthatches lining up to check it out.

White-breasted nuthatch at pumpkin feeder. Photo by Kristen Martyn. 

🎃 3. Share with Other Wildlife

Pumpkins aren’t just for birds. Squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, and even deer enjoy the flesh. You can cut pumpkins into pieces and leave them in a corner of your yard where you can watch the action. It’s fun to see who shows up for the snack — you might be surprised by your visitors. 

Squirrel with pumpkin. Photo by Kristen Martyn. 

Pumpkins are biodegradable, nutrient-rich, and too valuable to waste. By repurposing them for wildlife, you’re reducing landfill waste, supporting biodiversity, and giving animals a natural boost as the seasons change.

This November 1st, celebrate Pumpkin Party for Wildlife Day with us! Repurpose your pumpkins, watch the wildlife enjoy them, and share your photos with friends and family to spread the word. Together, we can make this a new fall tradition that benefits both nature and our communities.

Pumpkin party on! 

Warmly, 

Heather