Learn about Groundhogs Just In Time For The Holiday!

As many know, February 2nd is Groundhog Day! To most, perhaps it is a nonsensical holiday. To others, it connects Americans to folklore and tradition (of the Pennsylvania Dutch, to be exact) while asking a question worth pondering this time of year: are we are in for more winter or more spring!? If you believe in groundhog predictions, this year Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, thus declaring 6 more weeks of cold weather. 

Groundhogs are a quirky, cultural American icon 

Despite the attention of having a national holiday (more than most animals receive), I would argue that groundhogs are still wildly overlooked. These creatures provide value way beyond culture, and their ecological significance is worthy of praise year round! Let me tell you why.

 For starters, groundhogs are the largest members of the squirrel family. Classified as marmots, these ground-dwelling rodents burrow massive networks! This digging behavior aerates the soil faster and brings nutrients to plant roots. A second benefit of the groundhog is their dens unintentionally set up spaces of refuge for mammals and amphibians; a hideout to escape predators. Voles, mice, chipmunks rabbits, skunks and even frogs have been documented utilizing groundhog dens.      

 
With this influence over its environment, groundhogs are considered "ecosystem engineers". As they (positively) modify the abiotic and biotic features in their surroundings, they contribute to the good health of the woodland habitat. 
 

The entrance to a groundhog den.  

  The photo above was taken along a woodline on our Green Course. This one tunnel will lead to a multi-chamber space with a series of burrows. Each burrow is specialized for different activities. This includes everything from hibernating, raising young, even a space for defecating. For groundhogs to be able to design this kind of habitat, it takes a unique level of intelligence, navigation and social behavior.
 

Groundhogs are surely much more then they get credit for!

Post photography and writing by Yael Weiss.

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