Basically, if the weather was too cloudy to cast shadows on Feb. 2, there would be an early spring. When Europeans emigrated to America, the legend came with them. Badgers and bears were tracked to see if they cast shadows on the big day. Later, the tradition switched to groundhogs. Once Phil has done his Feb. 2 duty, he just goes back to sleep.
All groundhogs hibernate at wintertime.
Their body temperature drops to just above freezing, and their heart rate goes down, from about 80 beats a minute to about 4 beats per minute. Groundhogs are found all over the eastern United States, including the Washington area. Also called woodchucks, they live alone, one per underground burrow. Favorite groundhog foods include grass, fruit, alfalfa, clover and dandelions. There are more groundhogs today than ever before.