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Oct 31, 2006 11:41 am US/Eastern
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A Groundhog of Our Own: Meet Mr. G!
Amy Patterson, Mass Audubon Drumlin Farm
(WBZ)
February 2nd, known as Candlemas Day in Europe, is the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. In ancient times, Candlemas was considered the beginning of spring and a day of celebration. Over time, celebrants came to believe that the weather on February 2nd could in fact predict how much longer winter would last.
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.
- English proverb
The badger peeps out of his hole on Candlemas Day and if he finds snow he walks abroad, but if he sees sun he draws back in his hole.
-German proverb
According to the proverbs, if the weather is fair that day, there is more winter to come.
When German settlers arrived in the Punxsutawney area of Pennsylvania in the 1700s, they brought with them the traditions of Candlemas and the badger. The only problem there are no badgers in Pennsylvania, but groundhogs had a close resemblance and became the new weather predictors for Candlemas Day.
The Groundhog, Marmota monax (also known as the woodchuck)
Groundhogs are one of the few true hibernators in New England, but in reality, February 2nd is much too early for them to come out. Groundhogs are herbivores, or plant eaters, and in Massachusetts, they normally wake up in early March when the snow starts to melt and the plants begin to sprout. At that time, they are also looking for love a suitable mate!
Punsxutawney Phil, that famous groundhog in Pennsylvania, has captured the national spotlight year after year, but did you know that our state has a weather forecasting groundhog of its own? Our furry prognosticator, "Mr. G," resides at the Massachusetts Audubon Society's Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln. Born in the spring of 2001, he was found orphaned in a nearby residential area by a family pet, which carried him unharmed to his owner. Mr. G was then placed in the care of a state-licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Since he was an orphan raised by humans, he would not be able to survive in the wild. For that reason, our Massachusetts groundhog was permanently transferred to Drumlin Farm and began his teaching career as one of Drumlin's wildlife ambassadors in the spring of 2002.
When he's not forecasting the weather, Mr. G is still a very busy groundhog.
Along with our other captive wildlife, he travels to schools and scout troops, among other organizations, as part of the Mass Audubon Ark Outreach program to educate both children and adults.
Watch for Mr. G's 2007 weather forecast on February 2nd!
OTHER FAMOUS GROUNDHOGS
Birmingham Bill
General Lee
Unadilla Bill
Staten Island Chuck
Buckeye Chuck
Peewee
Jimmy
Alabama
Georgia
New Hampshire
New York
Ohio
Vermont
Wisconsin
You can visit a groundhog, as well as other resident native mammals and birds, along with the farm livestock every day at Drumlin Farm in Lincoln. For more on Mass Audubon Society's Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, visit
massauudbon.org/drumlin or to schedule a visit, call (781) 259-2240. Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, Massachusetts Audubon Society's only working educational farm, practices sustainable farming that supports the native habitat. As a leader in environmental education, the sanctuary strives to build awareness of the interdependence among people, land and wildlife.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)