Pumpkins

These beetles chew holes in leaves, flowers, and fruit. They are a common pest of cucumbers and other cucurbits.

Symptoms of downy mildew include tan to dull yellow angular lesions (spots) that enlarge.

Dead, wilting squash plants

This copper colored beetle resembles the Mexican bean beetle but is larger and has 14 spots as compared to 16 spots. It feeds on the tissue between leaf veins. Squash, cucumber, pumpkin, and squash may all serve as host plants.

Specific virus diseases are difficult to distinguish and produce a wide range of symptoms including stunted, slow-growing plants, twisted, crinkled, cupped, or deformed leaves, and leaf discoloration (yellow mottling and mosaic patterns, ringspots, and dark-green banding).

Powdery mildew is a common fungal disease that grows as a white powdery coating over the surfaces of leaves. It has a wide host range.

Sometimes an odd-looking squash or other vegetable shows up in the backyard garden. There a few explanations for that.

Twisted or deformed squash and other vegetables can be the result of insufficient pollination.