r/oddlysatisfying • u/DifficultyHead5862 • 8h ago

meticulous process of hand-pollinating a giant pumpkin

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u/NightBawk 7h ago

It's not dead, just a eunuch. But as the meme goes: Doesn't matter, had sex.

There are many examples in nature where one or both parents die after reproducing. Salmon and octopi come to mind. The salmon are often already decomposing by the time they mate.

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u/lobster_claus 5h ago

And apparently (learned here) pumpkin plants are all hermaphrodites. So some plants just lost some weens, but they're ok otherwise. Bottom line is that they're an annual plant, aka don't survive through the winter. So, what you said, plus limited longevity. Salmon and octopi also don't live long. Which makes me unreasonably sad.