A cornstalk is the tall, thick stem of a corn plant that grows up from the ground and supports the ears of corn where the kernels develop. If you've ever walked through a cornfield in late summer, you've seen rows and rows of cornstalks standing six or seven feet tall, with their large green leaves rustling in the wind.

The stalk itself is surprisingly strong and slightly woody, built to hold up heavy ears of corn without toppling over. After farmers harvest the corn in autumn, the dried cornstalks that remain in the field turn brown and brittle. Some farmers gather these dried stalks into bundles and use them as fall decorations, while others plow them back into the soil to enrich it for next year's crop.

In some parts of America, particularly the Midwest where corn grows abundantly, people use cornstalks to create autumn corn mazes. Walking through towering walls of cornstalks, trying to find your way out, can be both challenging and a little spooky on an October evening.