Happy Groundhog Day!

We have a groundhog den in our sideyard at the house up north. A few years ago, there were four babies...and they were so cute! It was great to watch how the mama communicated with them.

I was able to get a few shots while the mama was away...

An early American reference to Groundhog Day can be found in a diary entry, dated February 4, 1841, of Pennsylvania storekeeper James Morris:

Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate.

In Scotland the tradition may also derive from an English poem:

As the light grows longer
The cold grows stronger
If Candlemas be fair and bright
Winter will have another flight
If Candlemas be cloud and rain
Winter will be gone and not come again
A farmer should on Candlemas day
Have half his corn and half his hay
On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop
You can be sure of a good pea crop

Despite the common tongue-twister (How much wood would a woodchuck chuck...) woodchucks (Marmota monax) are burrowing creatures that usually stick to smaller plants. The name woodchuck is likely derived from a Native American term for what are now also called groundhogs...or less commonly the whistle pig.

This is the mama.

 http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/

The Whistle Pig

She's a chubby one...

Happy Groundhog Day!

We have a groundhog den in our sideyard. Two years ago there were four babies living in the den with their mother. So far, we have not had any problems with the groundhogs and our garden.




The legend of the Groundhog as a weather prophet came from Europe. The legend came along with the immigrants who worked in the coal mines in Punxsutawney, a town in the foothills of Western Pennsylvania. As the story goes, a local news editor tied the legend to the large number of groundhogs in the area.

Although considered a North American holiday by many, Groundhog Day has very deep roots. It evolved out of the  medieval Christian festival of Candlemas, and the ancient pagan celebration St. Brigid's Day.

Candlemas Day and its predecessor St. Brigid's Day fall between the winter solstice and the spring equinox and mark the midpoint of winter.

It was customary for the Europeans to watch for the hedgehog to come out of hibernation every February 2nd. As the legend goes, if the the hedgehog saw its shadow, there would be six more weeks of winter weather. If not, spring was around the corner. When these immigrants arrived in Pennsylvania, the groundhog was simply substituted for the hedgehog.

 

The average groundhog can weigh anywhere from 7 to 14 pounds. Groundhogs are rodents and are members of the squirrel family. They are clean living herbivores. Clover and alfalfa are their favorite foods.

Groundhogs also love fruits and vegetables, which is why many garden owners refer to them as pests. One reason groundhogs are abundant is that they are immune to the plague and to many diseases. They love cleanliness and their burrows even include bathrooms.