Groundhog Haven

Groundhog Haven

We have a backyard visitor – a groundhog. We have been trying to find its burrow but so far every time we catch sight of it, the critter takes off and ducks under our neighbors’ deck. Maybe that’s its home though we have seen evidence of digging in the dirt near our front door.

I think it is probably a male because females usually have several babies that stay with her for a while and I haven’t seen any little ones around. This single one is a regular by our bird feeders, eating its fill through the remaining days of summer. When the weather turns cold it will hunker in its burrow, slow its heart rate and hibernate until the spring, living off its fat reserves. But until then, this seems to be the particular groundhog’s haven.

The groundhog is a member of the squirrel family, though that connection is somewhat surprising because it is more of a solitary being than a social one like the squirrel; it certainly has a lot of squirrel family members in my backyard. I guess we all need the comfort of connection when we want it and the space to be on our own when we need it.

Want to know more about groundhogs?

http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/groundhogs-explained.html

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/groundhog/