Groundhogs take center degree on GroundhogDay , butthere is more to a Marmota monax on a farm than just one sidereal day . Are they a nuisance or a help ? Here ’s more about these fabled critter .
What is Groundhog Day?
Long ago , some the great unwashed decided that if a Marmota monax sees his shadow on February 2nd there will be six more weeks of wintertime . city all over the United States and Canada keep woodchuck on call just for shadow - staining on Groundhog Day .
The most famous shadow - look for Marmota monax is Punxsutawney Phil of Punxsutawney , Pa. Some others are Buckeye Chuck of Marion , Ohio ; General Beauregard Lee in Atlanta ; Staten Island Chuck in New York City ; Sir Walter Wally of Raleigh , N.C. ; Smith Lake Jake in Graysville , Ala. ; and Queen Charlotte of Charlotte , N.C. Canada has Wiarton Willie of Wiarton , Ontario ; Sutton Sammy in Sutton , Ontario ; Winnipeg Willow in Winnipeg , Manitoba ; Fred la Marmotte of Val d’Espoir , Quebec ; and Shubenacadie Sam in Shubenacadie , Nova Scotia .
Because there are no groundhogs in Louisiana , down in bayou nation , nutrias take their place . Two shadow - recognize Groundhog Day coypu are Pierre C. Shadeaux of Iberia and T - Boy in New Orleans .
Whistle Pigs on the Farm
Most groundhog , however , are simple country brute that wish to bask in the sun , raid gardens and dig in the earth .
Groundhogs are ground - dwell rodents belonging to the squirrel household . They ’re also called whistle - pigs and woodchucks . Have you ever heard the expression … “ How much woodwind would a Marmota monax chuck if a woodchuck could cast woodwind ? ” It does n’t weigh because woodchuck do n’t regurgitate wood . Their name comes from an Algonquin aboriginal American word wuchak , that ’s all .
Groundhogs are cute . They have chubby bodies covered with yawp grey browned pelt ; brusque , powerful legs with thick , curving claw on their front feet ; broad heads with short , rounded ears ; and flattish , medium - long , bushy tails . They vary from 16 inches to 28 inches in duration , tush include , and count 5 to 15 pounds . manful and female woodchuck wait alike , though male are often a minuscule bit bigger than female .
Groundhogs hollow howling dens to live in . According toMammals of the Eastern United States(John O. Whitaker and W.J. Hamilton ; Cornell University Press , 1998 ) , a typical Marmota monax moves 35 three-dimensional feet of earth weighing about 5,500 Cypriot pound while build its home . Dens can be 5 foot cryptic and 60 feet or more long . The woodchuck builds one elementary entering and two to five humble “ lam ” holes in case it needs to beat a hasty leakage . Some groundhogs build up two dens : a big , roomy one for summer animation and a smaller one to hibernate in . woodchuck are lonely creatures and commonly live one groundhog per den , but occasionally several plowshare the same slam .
Do Groundhogs Hibernate?
Groundhogs are true hibernators . They stuff themselves with yummy food as autumn approaches and then retire to a snug compartment below the frost line in their hideout . They go to sleep , and soon their heart rate retard so they can populate all winter on stored fat supplies .
Groundhogs tend to stay within about 100 infantry of their dens but will travel farther to find a mate or procure food they specially like . They dine on many type of vegetation , let in garden goodies like pea , beans , corn , cultivated carrot and sugar . They also love tree fruit that falls on the ground .
4 Steps to Keep Woodchucks Out of the Garden
It ’s no playfulness when groundhogs foray into your garden . It ’s toilsome to fence out groundhogs because they dig and go up with adequate ease . If groundhogs slip too much of your garden goodness , these panic attack - em - away tactics sometimes process .
1 . essay motion - activated devices that spray piss , flashlights or make randomness . Keep in thinker that groundhogs get used to these somewhat rapidly , so get several sort and turn out them to keep groundhog on their toes .
2 . Sprinkle Epsom salts in your garden . The National Gardening Association state Epsom salt add Mg to the filth and benefits many plants . It gargle away when you wash garden garden truck and groundhogs do n’t care it at all . You must reapply Epsom salts after leaden rains .
3 . Soak rags in ammonia and scatter them around your garden . Renew the ammonia water as the smell dissipates .
4 . Give your dog-iron memory access to the garden . andiron do n’t like woodchuck and vice versa !
How Woodchucks Can Be Helpful
groundhog can be a pain in the neck , but they have their undecomposed points too . For example , their digging help aerate soil . Also , many other coinage occupy desolate groundhog dens , vagabond fromfoxestosnakesto rabbits tomama tarantulasand even some Bronx cheer . Groundhog dens help those species survive .
