Groundhog Day!

**Josh** 2/2/2013, 10:33 am

Legend has it that if a groundhog sees his shadow on the morning of Feb. 2, winter will last six more weeks.
If he doesn't see his shadow then we are in for an Early Spring!

Punxsutawney Phil crawled out early Saturday morning and did not see
his shadow, signaling it will be an early spring. Coming into this
year, Phil had seen his shadow 100 times and had not seen it only 16
times since 1886.
Groundhog Day! Groundhog

This is our first 2013 Spring Flower
Groundhog Day! Daffodil

So what do you think, do you think the groundhog method works? Wink

GWN 2/2/2013, 11:56 am

Funny he does not look a day over 2 years old, hardly 111 years old Very Happy

I would say that we are set up for an early spring, it has been a warm winter.

**donnainzone5** 2/2/2013, 12:10 pm

Josh,

Although I'm a skier and would prefer a longer, snowier winter, I agree with Phil, at least for my own area.

I came to this conclusion mostly because my shrubs and huge lilac bushes have been budding up since Decenber! And I expect the daffodils to start coming up this month.

Please keep in mind, of course, that this is my first winter in this locale.

CapeCoddess 2/2/2013, 1:51 pm

It may be wishful thinking but I'm inclined to go with Phil. Even tho we have snow in the tomorrows forecast, the seeds I'm indoor planting today back him up. Wink

CC

GWN 2/2/2013, 2:08 pm

gee cc forecast, thanks for bringing that up Groundhog Day! 950477

I see more snow in my future today as well....

However I am planting more seeds too dreaming of warmer days Groundhog Day! 274447

Goosegirl 2/2/2013, 2:19 pm

Was last year one of the years he did not see a shadow? I ask because last year our last frost was a month earlier than usual! If he saw his shadow last year, it DEFINITELY does not hold true to my locale! sunny

GG

quiltbea 2/2/2013, 2:59 pm

In my area we've had an early spring the last two years so that didn't work.
This year our Jan was colder than usual and Feb is starting out below normal, too, so I don't forsee any earlier spring for us.
I'll take it as it comes like I always do. Phil has no bearing on my springs.

happycamper 2/2/2013, 3:06 pm

While I don't trust the Groundhog, the plants in my yard are a better indicator for my area. The cat has been shedding, the chickens are laying and molted nearly two months earlier than normal last year, the birds in the trees are chirping (loudly), the Daphne is budding as well as my blueberries and "My Little Groundhog" that turned 21 today all seem to point to an early spring. I believe we have a "cold snap" to look forward too but overall my area will probably have a mild winter this year. Time to plant peas!

FamilyGardening 2/2/2013, 3:41 pm

we had crazy weather last winter/spring.... hit hard with snow and freezing ice with wind storms that took down a lot of tree's....then what we thought was an early spring had our spinach bolt Sad

and our cole crops were small Sad

then hit with cooler months before summer Shocked

this winter has been very mild compared to other winters....our bulbs are coming up :drunken: ....its been around 50 degree's and we only have to load up our wood stove once a day cyclops

i believe we are going to have an early spring flower

....which really makes us confused on when to start seedlings and when to direct sow... thinking

happy gardening
rose

GWN 2/2/2013, 3:58 pm

i believe we are going to have an early spring ....which really makes us confused on when to start seedlings and when to direct sow.

One rule I think I WILL follow, I WILL NOT dig the snow out to plant seeds.

Last year we had a bad frost a week after the average last frost and the poor cherry trees had already budded, .. ruining them.. Sad

**donnainzone5** 2/2/2013, 4:12 pm

[quote="GWN"][quote]i One rule I think I WILL follow, I WILL NOT dig the snow out to plant seeds.

Razz

:lol:

Goosegirl 2/2/2013, 4:46 pm

GWN wrote: One rule I think I WILL follow, I WILL NOT dig the snow out to plant seeds.

Words to live by! rofl

GG

FamilyGardening 2/2/2013, 6:22 pm

GWN wrote:
i believe we are going to have an early spring ....which really makes us confused on when to start seedlings and when to direct sow.
One rule I think I WILL follow, I WILL NOT dig the snow out to plant seeds.

Last year we had a bad frost a week after the average last frost and the poor cherry trees had already budded, .. ruining them..

sorry to hear about your tree Sad

will not dig snow out rofl

GWN 2/2/2013, 6:41 pm

Words to live by!

Well every gardener needs at least a few rules. rock on

Triciasgarden 2/3/2013, 2:27 am

We are having more snow than average and colder temps than normal. This is not the most snow we have had in the 23 or so years I have lived here though. It has been consistently cold here this Winter, although this week is a little warmer. So I think that even though Phil did not see his shadow, we will still have at least six more weeks of Winter here. I do need to get my garden planning done pretty soon and get seeds started indoors.

JackieB999 2/3/2013, 8:37 am

I was going to ask... doesn't he always see his shaddow? thinking

So thanks, Josh. It makes more sense that he's NOT seen it only 16 times in the past 125 years.

BTW... does anyone know how accurate he has been?

littlejo 2/3/2013, 10:02 am

I don't know how accurate it is, but, if some human came along and yanked me out of my warm burrow, I would see more than my shadow!

I think Mother Nature is bringing spring early in SC. Daffodils already blooming, maple trees and an early apple blooming. Blueberries will be blooming this week. Strawberries already blooming.

We may get a couple more frosts but spring is pretty much here.
Jo

**Josh** 2/3/2013, 3:35 pm

I think here where I live in Southern Illinois, Phil is right this time. That's not really a groundhog in the photo I posted, but it's how I imagine Phil looks popping his head out of his hole to look around.

It was really cloudy here yesterday, and I was on my way to town going the country road, and Phil ran right out in front of my car and stopped in the middle of the road looking around and he wasn't scared of nothen, not even my car! Shocked

I've seen groundhogs run out in the road before, but never this early! Very Happy

Triciasgarden 2/4/2013, 10:02 pm

Josh, so if Phil is correct for your area, how much longer do you have of Winter? I am so envious!

plantoid 2/5/2013, 7:55 am

I don't think our local weather on this side of the pond has ever heard of Phil .
He'd be two foot down and hibernating .. we've had sharp overnight frosts this last two days .. a few minutes of sleet this lunch time and a lot more set to come in the next ten days or so .
Usually by now we would have daffs in bud .. we do have quite a few primulas and primroses that have been flowering all through winter.

I reckon that this side of the world will be a late cold spring , thankfully the glass house is in good order & the seed propagation bed is working well.

**trolleydriver** 2/2/2017, 12:36 pm

In the USA:
"In a 131-year-old tradition, the most famous groundhog -- Punxsutawney Phil -- emerged from his burrow at Gobblers Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, Thursday and saw his shadow, which, according to legend, means six more weeks of winter."

In Canada:
"Canada's celebrity groundhogs have 'predicted' an early spring after officials declared the pudgy prognosticators did not see their shadows. Ontario's Wiarton Willie and Nova Scotia's Shubenacadie Sam were both greeted by cheers as their forecasts were issued by their handlers on Thursday morning."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJyFvSVd5HI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKbBuMNHb_Y

**RoOsTeR** 2/2/2017, 2:13 pm

Pretty sure Punxsutawney Phil ate to much meatloaf last night...just sayin...

**camprn** 2/2/2017, 7:09 pm

https://i.servimg.com/u/f37/15/09/49/22/img_2010.jpg
Groundhog Day! Img_2011

littlejo 2/2/2017, 7:55 pm

Thank you Phil. Maybe we will have some winter before the summer heat!

Blueberries have berries on. Maple trees blooming. Apple trees blooming. Daffodils have about finished . But, the biggest sign of spring- the pine trees are putting on their buds!

Jo

BeetlesPerSqFt 2/2/2017, 10:45 pm

One of Phil's relatives spends part of their time munching in my backyard. This was April of 2016:
Groundhog Day! Img_5111

We get along pretty well - unlike some other rodents, he/she hasn't tried to get under/over/through the fence into the garden!

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