{"id":10479,"date":"2018-02-02T15:33:47","date_gmt":"2018-02-02T20:33:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/?p=10479"},"modified":"2018-02-02T15:34:16","modified_gmt":"2018-02-02T20:34:16","slug":"ground-truthing-the-groundhog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/ground-truthing-the-groundhog\/","title":{"rendered":"Ground Truthing the Groundhog"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"On February 2 at Drumlin Farm<\/a>, the official groundhog of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Ms. G, looks for her shadow. This year, Ms. G saw her shadow, which, according to the folklore, means we\u2019re in for 6 more weeks of winter.<\/p>\n

But any skepticism you have about her methodology is justified. It turns out groundhogs aren\u2019t any better than coin flips at predicting weather.<\/p>\n

If Ms. G looked at winter temperature trends over the last 30 years, she might want to reconsider her forecast. If we define the onset of spring by the “first leaf” date of a number of different plants, spring has been arriving earlier and earlier across the United States, and more than 5 days earlier across most of Massachusetts.<\/p>\n

First leaf dates are one indicator of many. Late winter and spring temperatures are rising. Many birds are migrating sooner, and some mammals are shedding their winter coats earlier. Long-time gardeners in Massachusetts consistently tell stories of being able to grow things they once couldn\u2019t.\u00a0All these changes could disrupt the ecological balance that has been in place for hundreds or thousands of years.<\/p>\n

We can help alleviate some of the stresses plants, wildlife, and pollinators will face due to changes in climate by protecting natural spaces in our own communities, and by planting native, flowering plants in our gardens.<\/p>\n

For what it\u2019s worth, the expert “groundhogs” at the National Weather Service\u2019s Climate Prediction Center are projecting a slightly warmer and potentially wetter February-March-April than normal. We\u2019ll have to see which forecast holds true.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On February 2 at Drumlin Farm, the official groundhog of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Ms. G, looks for her shadow. This year, Ms. G saw her shadow, which, according to the folklore, means we\u2019re in for 6 more weeks of winter. But any skepticism you have about her methodology is justified. It turns out groundhogs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":10503,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[178],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2018\/02\/Groundhog_Drumlin600.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3t87A-2J1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1622,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/a-closer-look-at-groundhog-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":10479,"position":0},"title":"A Closer Look at Groundhog Day","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"January 28, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Every year on February 2, Americans turn their attention to a small furry little animal. According to legend, if the groundhog sees his or her shadow there will be six more weeks of winter, but if not, spring is on the way. The peculiarity of this tradition has earned it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2013\/01\/msg.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15170,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/take-5-groundhog-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":10479,"position":1},"title":"Take 5: Groundhog Day","author":"Ryan D.","date":"February 8, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Let's get real for a minute: living through a pandemic can sometimes feel a bit like the classic movie Groundhog Day\u2014reliving the same day over and over, never quite sure when we'll escape a sort of perpetual limbo. But unlike the anti-hero of that fictional Hollywood reality, we know that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Groundhog \u00a9 Debbie Lamb","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/02\/2233DebbieLamb7791-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/02\/2233DebbieLamb7791-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/02\/2233DebbieLamb7791-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2021\/02\/2233DebbieLamb7791-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3376,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/five-early-spring-flowers\/","url_meta":{"origin":10479,"position":2},"title":"Five Early Spring Flowers","author":"Rosemary","date":"April 7, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Nothing banishes the winter blues like the reassuring sight of the spring\u2019s first wildflowers. Many plants bloom while the deciduous trees above them are still bare; they soak up sunlight on the season\u2019s first warm days before trees can shade out the forest floor. Here are five of the earliest\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/03\/springflowers_troutlily_rosemary.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/03\/springflowers_troutlily_rosemary.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/03\/springflowers_troutlily_rosemary.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/03\/springflowers_troutlily_rosemary.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5001,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/four-early-signs-of-spring\/","url_meta":{"origin":10479,"position":3},"title":"Four Early Signs of Spring","author":"Rosemary","date":"April 7, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Long before\u00a0the trees leaf out and baby songbirds hatch, you can look for\u00a0these early signs that a new season is finally arriving. Chickadees Singing their Spring Song Black-capped chickadee \u00a9 Kim Caruso In\u00a0late winter, male black-capped chickadees (and sometimes females) begin to make their short two-note song. To some, it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/03\/13806052253_d875f8c893_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/03\/13806052253_d875f8c893_z.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2015\/03\/13806052253_d875f8c893_z.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3465,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/the-leaf-eating-tree-damaging-little-green-caterpillar\/","url_meta":{"origin":10479,"position":4},"title":"The Leaf-Eating, Tree-Damaging, Little Green Caterpillar","author":"Mass Audubon","date":"April 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Remember the little pale green caterpillar that ate through your trees and roses last year? Well, it\u2019s back! The caterpillar stage of the invasive\u00a0winter moth (Operophtera brumato) eats young, tender leaves, sometimes before the leaves even get a chance to emerge from the bud. The winter moth caterpillar is just\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Gardening"","block_context":{"text":"Gardening","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/gardening\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/04\/wintermoth_Milan-Zubrik-Forest-Research-Institute-Slovakia-Bugwood.org_.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/04\/wintermoth_Milan-Zubrik-Forest-Research-Institute-Slovakia-Bugwood.org_.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/04\/wintermoth_Milan-Zubrik-Forest-Research-Institute-Slovakia-Bugwood.org_.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2014\/04\/wintermoth_Milan-Zubrik-Forest-Research-Institute-Slovakia-Bugwood.org_.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1867,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/the-myth-busting-mourning-cloak\/","url_meta":{"origin":10479,"position":5},"title":"The Myth-Busting Mourning Cloak","author":"Kristin S.","date":"April 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Every year I wait eagerly to see my first butterfly of spring. Most likely, it will be a mourning cloak\u00a0(Nymphalis antiopa),\u00a0a large butterfly with velvety brown wings and yellowish white wing edges. This beautiful \u201charbinger of spring\u201d emerges on the first warm days, often before all the snow has melted.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nature Notes"","block_context":{"text":"Nature Notes","link":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/category\/nature-notes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Mourning cloak copyright Frank Model","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2013\/03\/mourningcloakfrankmodel.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10479"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10505,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10479\/revisions\/10505"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.massaudubon.org\/yourgreatoutdoors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}