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Woodchuck (aka Groundhog) - (Marmota
monax)
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| Woodchucks - Food Guy
tried vegetable gardening again. For planting
number three, he surrounded the raised garden
with plastic netting on all four sides. Next he
believed the woodchucks climbed this and ate
most of the new growth. His next strategy was to
cover the top with more netting. Those little
round guys are much smarter than that. Those
impressive front teeth simply chewed a hole in
the side of the netting and finished off the new
vegetables even the onion tops- they did leave
the straggly tomato plants (maybe out of pity,
but I don't think so). Realizing Food Guy gave
up until next year, the woodchucks, mom and four
of the cutest babies ever, took to camping on
and at the safflower ground feeder.
Unfortunately, they are big flower eaters too
(goodbye, last year's coneflowers and joe pye
weed - personal favorites of birds. |
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March 21, 2009 - We caught a
woodchuck sneaking out from under the bird food
shed. He and various other digger animals
have quite the tunnel system under all four of
our sheds and probably under the entire front
and back yards. Occasional heads pop up here and
there, maybe checking the weather or the current
neighborhood activities. We must traverse our
whole two acres with care for the openings can
be quite the toe catchers.
We can recognize the
difference between two woodchucks. While one is
smaller and has a tan face, they are both
working on bulking up. Already they have
found some vegetation on the no-no list
(chives). |
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| March 16, 2009 - We saw
our first woodchuck of spring. He was skulking
along the back tree line at dusk. Since he was
rather thin, he could move fairly fast. He
almost looked like a youthlet (one of Food Guy's
made-up words. Unfortunately it was too dark for
photos. |
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| February
2, 2009 - On Groundhog Day this year,
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. An old German
legend says that if a hibernating animal does
see its shadow on this day, then winter will
last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen on
this mid-winter day, spring will arrive early. |
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Our own groundhogs (we usually call them
woodchucks) didn't leave their snug dens until
the end of March last year. Weather prediction
is the last thing on their minds. They want to
eat and they want to mate (the order of that
could be predicted more accurately than the
length of winter).
We think our woodchucks will be very pleased
with all the new low bird feeders. The
increased food supply will be most welcome for
their first meal of the year. |
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| This year we first noticed
the woodchuck in our yard on April 5th. He was
probably awake from his hibernation in early
February. After all, Phil the only famous
groundhog, pops out of his burrow every year on
February 2nd in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. On
the years that he sees his shadow, he predicts
six more weeks of winter weather. Spring is
around the corner if the day is overcast.
Statistics for this event show he sees his
shadow 90% of the time and his human neighbors
insist he is 100% accurate. While this is
probably (ground) hog wash, it makes a fun
tradition to break up the long winter days. |
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| Food Guy believes this summer (through August
22nd), we actually hosted four different
woodchucks. By the end of April we saw two
babies with two adults chomping away on the
dandelions and other volunteer growth in our
backyard. Unfortunately, for us, they all moved
on to other non-volunteer vegetation. We took
photos of coreopsis, French hollyhock,
limelight hydrangea, lilacs, and small
sunflowers (plus more off camera), disappearing
into the groundhogs' mouths past their sharp,
little teeth. Somehow they all still pass the
adorable test, for this year anyway. |
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Size: |
Head and Body Length: 16-27 in |
Tail Length: 4-10 in |
Weight: 4-14 lb |
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ID:
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Male: Large,
ground-dwelling mammal in the squirrel
family; back coarse and dark brownish,
grizzled with gray (can vary from
yellowish brown to black); top of head
dark brown; blunt nose with whitish
sides to muzzle; medium length tail
dark; belly rusty brown; small round
ears; short dark legs
Female:Same as male |
| Habitat: |
Woodlands, farms
with pastures or fields, grasslands,
backyards and roadsides |
| Diet: |
Grasses, garden
vegetables, clover ,dandelions,
wildflowers, fruit, bark and twigs and
safflower seed (in our yard) |
| Family Behavior: |
Mating
Habits:Breeds soon after emerging from
hibernating
Nests:In burrow
Young: 2-6 born blind and hairless in
April or May with gestation about a
month; 4 inches long; weighs 1 ounce; 4
weeks of nursing and eyes open; fully
independent at 3 months
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| Activities: |
Diurnal (active
during day) and crepuscular (most
active early morning and late
afternoon); never wanders far from
burrow; hibernates in winter (September
until February- about 6 months); cannot
predict winter's end on Groundhog Day
February 2; can climb well; solitary;
will defend burrow area; swims; digs
extensive den or burrow (up to 5 feet
deep and 30-40 feet long) with several
openings; can dig a tunnel 5 feet long
in one day; regular summer cleaning
leaves a mound of dirt in front of main
entrance; separate winter den with only
one entrance |
| Predators and
Dangers: |
Fox, bobcat, coyote,
hawk and domestic dog; humans with
hunting weapons and automobiles |
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Vocalization: |
Distinctive sharp
whistle if alarmed; chatters and growls
if disturbed |
| Lifespan: |
3-6 years |
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