Halloween lovers hoping to create the perfect jack-o-lantern might want to shop carefully this year because of a pumpkin fungus that has put a dent in some harvests.

Two types of fungus or rot have affected crops from the Midwest to New England, causing pumpkins to develop mold in some spots and then begin decomposing. It appears that the pumpkin rots from the inside out, and it eventually rots until the shell falls apart.

[Read](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15138843/ “Read the Story”) (AP via MSNBC)