Carol Fisher-Linn
*How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Now, even with only two choices, I am not foolish enough to try to guess what Punxsutawney Phil will predict on February 2nd. However, this past Sunday Buffalo Bert has already predicted six more weeks of winter, and that’s great news for WNY winter sports enthusiasts. But …. whoa! Buffalo Bert? Let’s back up — I’m way ahead of myself.
as Grand Marshal for the Ellicottville Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday, March 9, 6pm.
Yes, it seems that famed weather prognosticator Punxsutawney Phil has a lot of competition across this land of ours. In fact, there are 75 weather-forecasting soothsayers in Canada or the USA who made predictions in 2023 — including 43 ‘alternative’ groundhogs. To name a few, Buffalo has Bert the groundhog who, for the past 11 years has been 100% accurate, Dunkirk has Dave, Ontario has Fenwick Flossie and Chilly Charlie, while the south is represented by Georgia’s General Beauregard Lee, who is considered the principal prognosticator for the southern USA. One of the 45 interesting alternative groundhogs is Maxine, California’s weather-predicting tortoise.
Here, let me give you a glimpse of how looking to animals to predict our coming weather first came to be. The Germans who came to America in the late 1800’s, brought with them their culture, customs, and foods. One holiday they shared was Candlemas Day, which arrived between the winter solstice and spring equinox, celebrated on February 2nd.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac tells us that the tradition of relying on rodents as forecasters may date back to the early days of Christianity in Europe, when clear skies on Candlemas Day (Feb. 2) were said to herald cold weather ahead. So back in old Germany the idea came about that if the sun came out on Candlemas and a badger cast its shadow, they could expect snow all the way into May.
Looking for a badger in North America was not so simple since many had been killed off by angry farmers. A substitute had to be found and henceforth, they began to observe the groundhog. Close enough. After all, it lived in a burrow as did the badger. Looking at them, one would think they are related, but they are not. However, they are similar in size, coloring and housing preferences, and are both “true hibernators.” In hibernation, a groundhog’s temperature drops from 99 to 37, heartbeat is five per minute (normally 80), and breathing slows from 16 breaths per minute to 2. So, come February when the urge sets upon the males, they rally. Awake, they pop out … but here’s the thing, they wake up only to come out to look for a mate! Mating season is in March, but these furry upstarts want first dibs, so they come to the surface, roam around, check out potential mates, introduce themselves, and go back into their dens to wait until mating time. So, yes, in a way, when they come out of hibernation it means that winter is waning, but, according to many experts, they are not necessarily predicting the weather.
Some interesting facts about groundhogs come to us from Livescience.com:
Found only in North America, they are large rodents, relatives of squirrels, up to 24 inches long, weighing 13 pounds with 7-9.5” tails. These round creatures look like little bears when they stand up on their hind legs. They have long sharp claws and incisors that keep growing. If they aren’t worn down enough by chewing, it can be fatal to these overgrown squirrels, according to the National Wildlife Federation. What is amazing is that their burrows can be 6 feet deep and 20 feet wide, with several entrances. They have a burrow in the woods for the winter and a burrow in the grassy areas during the warmer seasons. They are tidy housekeepers. Solitary homebodies, they never wander far, and enviably, they spend their summers and falls gorging themselves and napping in the sun. They typically live three to six years in the wild, (PBS.org) unlike Phil, who is reputed to be 138 years young thanks to a magic elixir he is fed throughout the year. Look for Phil as he and his handler AJ Dereume who will once again serve as Grand Marshal for the Ellicottville Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday, March 9, 6pm.
Answer to question: *About 700 pounds (317 kg), according to Cornell University