Hi there! Have you ever thought about pumpkins? Most of us picture a big, round, orange pumpkin, perfect for making jack-o’-lanterns. But did you know that pumpkins can be different sizes, shapes, and even colors? I once found a green pumpkin!
Let’s talk about why pumpkins are orange. It’s a really interesting question! Scientists have discovered that pumpkins get their orange color from something inside them. This special substance is called carotene. Carotene is also what makes carrots, cantaloupes, and sweet potatoes orange. Isn’t that cool?
But here’s something surprising: pumpkins don’t start out orange. When they first grow, they’re green! As they ripen, they change color to orange. This color change is important because it helps animals notice the pumpkins when they’re ready to be eaten. The seeds inside the pumpkins need to be spread to grow new plants, and animals help with that.
Did you know that the big orange pumpkins we see today didn’t always exist? Long ago, wild pumpkins were small and had a mix of green, yellow, and orange colors. People living in North America a long time ago liked the orange ones, so they started growing more of them. Over time, they created the bright orange pumpkins we know today.
Now, we have all sorts of pumpkins! Some have bumps, some have stripes, and some are even giant! People have chosen different traits they like, which is why we have such a variety of pumpkins now. And guess what? We are the ones who help spread pumpkin seeds by planting them because we love how they look!
That’s all for today! Thanks for learning about pumpkins with me. Remember, there are so many mysteries around us. Keep asking questions and stay curious. See you next time!
Color Change Experiment: Find a small green pumpkin or another green fruit, like a green tomato. Place it in a sunny spot and observe it over a few days. Draw a picture of what it looks like each day. Can you see any changes in color? Discuss with your classmates why you think the color is changing and how this relates to what you learned about pumpkins turning orange.
Carotene Hunt: Go on a scavenger hunt in your kitchen or garden to find other foods that might have carotene. Look for orange foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, or cantaloupes. Make a list of the foods you find and draw a picture of each one. Talk about why these foods might be orange and how they are similar to pumpkins.
Design Your Own Pumpkin: Use paper, crayons, or markers to design your own pumpkin. Think about the different shapes, sizes, and colors pumpkins can be. Maybe your pumpkin has stripes or bumps, or maybe it’s a color other than orange! Share your design with the class and explain why you chose those features. How do you think your pumpkin would help spread its seeds?
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Hi, it’s Doug! When most people picture a pumpkin, they imagine the classic orange pumpkin, great for carving jack-o’-lanterns. However, pumpkins come in a huge variety of sizes, shapes, and even colors. For example, check out this green pumpkin I found recently!
Someone named Sophia has a question about the classic orange pumpkins, so let’s give her a call.
Hi, Sophia! I have a question for you: Why are pumpkins orange? That’s a great question! What makes them orange?
Like many things, scientists have discovered that the color of pumpkins comes from substances they contain, which can be observed at a microscopic level. When scientists studied pumpkins closely, they found that the reason pumpkins are orange is due to an orange-colored substance, especially in the dark orange color of their outer skin. What surprised scientists the most was that this substance is actually the same as the one found in many other fruits and vegetables. It’s the same substance that makes carrots orange, cantaloupes, sweet potatoes, and many other orange-colored fruits and vegetables. In fact, because this orange substance was first identified in carrots, it’s named carotene.
But pumpkins don’t start out orange! Remember, pumpkins grow on a plant. As a pumpkin grows, it actually starts out green and only turns orange as it ripens and gets ready to be picked. So the real question is: Why do pumpkins change color from green to orange?
Now would be a good time to pause the video and discuss.
Ready? Well, pumpkins aren’t the only things that change color as they ripen. Many fruits do this, like strawberries turning red or tomatoes ripening. This color change helps animals notice these fruits when they’re ready to be eaten, which is beneficial for the plant because the fruit contains its seeds. Many plants rely on animals to pick their fruits and carry their seeds to new places.
Pumpkins do contain seeds, so it seems logical to think that the color change from green to orange might signal to animals that the pumpkins are ready to be eaten. However, the big orange pumpkins we see every fall are not something that grew naturally in the wild. In fact, there didn’t always used to be orange pumpkins.
It turns out that humans invented them! The original wild pumpkin probably looked more like this: small and splotchy in color, with a mix of green, yellow, and orange. Like most living things, no two wild pumpkins were exactly alike. Some were a little bigger, some rounder, and some had more green or orange.
In ancient times, the native people living in North America selected and grew only the traits they wanted by choosing pumpkins with more orange. Over time, they developed a variety of pumpkins that looked more and more orange, distinct from the wild pumpkin.
People have also selected for other pumpkin traits, not just color, which is why we have such a huge variety of pumpkins today: pumpkins with warts and bumps, pumpkins with stripes, pumpkins of different shapes, and even giant pumpkins.
All of these pumpkin plants that we grow have a living thing responsible for spreading their seeds, but it’s not animals—it’s us! We pick them and keep planting them because we like how they look.
That’s all for this week’s question. Thanks, Sophia, for asking it!
Now, for the next episode, I reached into my question jar and found three questions submitted to me that I’m considering answering. When this video is done playing, you’ll get to vote on one. You can choose from: Why do we have daylight saving time? How is sugar made? Or how many people are in the world?
So submit your vote when the video is over. I want to hear from all of you watching! There are mysteries all around us. Stay curious, and see you next week!
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Let me know if you need any further modifications!
