A sunny day means the groundhog will see his shadow — this is taken as a sign that the next six weeks will bring wintry weather. A cloudy day means the opposite. In Punxsutawney, marked the first time that Groundhog Day appeared in the local newspaper. The following year brought the first official trek to Gobbler's Knob.
Each year since then has seen a steady increase in participation of the celebration from people all over the world. It's been the same Punxsutawney Phil for all years of the tradition, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. That's over 15 times longer than the upper end of a groundhog's typical lifespan.
That's an old groundhog. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.
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Subscribe today. The first Punxsutawney Groundhog Day celebration was recorded in , according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club's website. Phil is not new to the forecasting game. The ceremony has been going on since Scientifically speaking, winter will officially come to an end on the equinox on March 20, regardless of what Phil predicts.
But Mother Nature doesn't always follow the timetable. He's not very good at it. For the last two years in a row, Phil has not seen his shadow, predicting an early spring. Since the traditional celebration anticipated the planting of crops, a central focus of the festivities was the forecasting of either an early spring or a lingering winter.
Our Groundhog Day is a remote survivor of that belief. Want to see more accurate planting dates? Check out our Planting Calendar to find dates for starting seeds, transplanting, and harvesting in your area.
If Candlemas [February 2] be mild and gay, Go saddle your horses and buy them hay; But if Candlemas be stormy and black, It carries the winter away on its back. The groundhog, also known as a woodchuck or whistlepig, typically makes its home in the brambles and thickets that grow where forests meet fields. There, it digs burrows between 4 and 6 feet deep and up to 40 feet long—removing as much as pounds of dirt in the process.
Like its squirrel relatives, the groundhog eats leaves, grass, flowers, bark, and twigs and climbs trees to reach tender buds or fruit. This furry animal will also go after just about any crop, favoring beans, peas, and carrot tops. It may even take a bite out of every squash or pumpkin in a row, instead of consuming just one. See how to deter groundhogs in the garden. But the mischief-maker is not all nuisance.
Its burrows allow air and water to penetrate the soil and, when abandoned, they become homes for opossums and other small animals. The groundhog itself serves as food for larger creatures, such as bobcats, foxes, and wolves. With hungry predators on the prowl, it takes courage for a groundhog to emerge from its hole every February to make its forecast.
It must take its job very seriously! Photo by Brain E. The word you use is more of a reflection of where you live. The word comes from a Native American word. What do you call it? Six more weeks of Winter or 42 days until Spring. Figured that one out when I was younger Haven't figured out yet why the movie portrays repetition though Paula, thank you for the information about removing the Christmas decorations and tree.
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