Celebrating Rodents – Happy Groundhog Day

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In case you didn’t realize it, groundhogs, aka woodchucks or whistlepigs, are definitely rodents. They’re the largest member of the squirrel family, and they’re native to North America. The most famous rodent (live one anyway) in the USA is probably Punxsutawney Phil, the “Prognosticator of Prognosticators”, who’ll be delivering his 140th annual weather prediction today… February 2nd, 2026. The town bills itself as the ‘Weather capital of the World’, but Phil’s predictions are right only ~39 percent of the time. Not exactly bragging rights, but he’s the pride of Punxsutawney.

Back in the summer of 2022, we had a chance to visit Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, a small town of ~5,700 people whose population swells to near 20,000 each year to celebrate Groundhog Day. Visiting in the summer allowed us to visit the famous Gobbler’s Knob and walk around town unhindered by crowds… and we didn’t freeze like folks are doing today.

Gobbler’s Knob was pretty deserted in mid-August, but the scavenger hunt in town using the Phantastic Phil locator map to find several of the 40+ Phantastic Phil statues was fun.

Phil’s burrow is located on an outside wall of the library building. Hazy, scratched plexiglass offered only a gauzy view of Phil, who was napping when we peeked in. He apparently has a wife, Phyllis, who also lives in the burrow, but she was otherwise occupied… probably out chucking wood.

Since Phil has been a predictor of early Spring or not for140 years, we wondered just how many Phils there have been since 1886. The answer from the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club (and they would most certainly know) was one. There is only ONE Phil who has managed to stay alive since 1886 because he sips a magical ‘elixir of life’ (a secret punch served at the annual summer picnic) which makes him immortal. The reality is groundhogs typically live 10-14 years, so some feel his immortality is a myth akin to Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. Being a firm believer, however, in both Santa and the Easter Bunny, I guess Phil’s immortality is possible.

There’s a bit of folklore associated with Groundhog Day linking it to Candlemas, the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Churches would distribute candles to their flock at this time to help them survive the rest of winter. A sunny, clear day on February 2nd forecast a long-lasting winter, but a gloomy, gray sky meant spring was on its way.

"If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas bring clouds and rain,
Go, Winter, and come not again."


Beyond checking out Phil’s prediction, how do you celebrate? We watch Groundhog Day every February 2nd. We know most of the dialogue by heart and sing along with Sonny & Cher as “I Got You, Babe” plays over and over.

Enjoy the day!