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By Katherine Schramek

Intern Teacher/Naturalist

Oftentimes, by February, the novelty of winter wears off and people begin to impatiently wait for spring. This time is also marked by one of our odder holidays: Groundhog’s Day. Americans wait with bated breath to hear the fate of winter, decided on whether a shadow was seen by a groundhog. But what most people don’t know is that one of our most famous rodents lives a rather modest lifestyle.

For starters, let’s clear up a major misunderstanding – groundhogs and woodchucks are the same animal. For the sake of clarity, I will call them groundhogs for the remainder of this article, but call them whatever you’d like, even “whistle pig.” These groundhogs are a part of the rodent family, or more specifically, the ground squirrel family.

Groundhogs are excellent architects – they dig out their homes through a series of underground tunnels that form their burrow. These tunnels can reach 40-60 feet long, and provide several amenities: a makeshift bathroom, a nesting area, and plenty of spots to hide from predators. These tunnels might be an inconvenience in your backyard, but they are excellent for plant life —the added flow of oxygen underground helps aerate the soil, which helps with root growth and boosts nutrition for the plants above.

During winter, they’ll seal themselves off in this burrow for hibernation. They dig below the frost line, which helps keep them from freezing in their sleep. Their body temperature will drop as low as 37 degrees during hibernation, and they often appear more dead than alive. They are unlikely to respond to any disturbance during their hibernation.

Another major misunderstanding? They don’t wake up in time for their special day on Feb. 2. Most groundhogs don’t leave their burrows until the end of the month, or even until the start of March. There’s only one thing on their mind when they wake up from hibernation, and it’s not to predict the seasons for us. It’s an urgent search for food. They wake up weighing significantly less than their fall weight, which they must replenish before mating season in April.

During the warmer months, they’ll snack on any vegetation they might find. Groundhogs are herbivores, and they enjoy different grasses, clovers, and alfalfa. They’ve also been found snagging different vegetables from gardens. During these months, they’ll also continue to work on their burrows.

This Groundhog’s Day, you can watch Punxsutawney Phil deliver his seasonal predictions from Pennsylvania on the television. Whatever the outcome is, just know that he’s only been right about 40% of the time. Regardless, warmer days are just around the corner.

February at the Nature Center

Depending on snow and weather conditions, the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center will try to groom ski trails if we get at least 8 inches of snow. If we are able to groom ski trails we will announce pop-up cross-country ski lessons.

Feb. 14: American Red Cross Blood Drive, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Feb. 21: Cedar River Astronomy Club Meeting, 7-8 p.m.

Feb. 22: Cedar’s Hatch Day Party, 2-4 p.m.

March 1: Flora and Fantasy: Nature Themed Board Game Afternoon, 1-4 p.m.