Groundhog and Snake Shadows #ShadowshotSunday.

How fitting that, this year, that Shadowshot Sunday comes on Groundhog Day. 

Although these shadows won't predict if we will have an early spring or six more weeks of winter (noting that the official Groundhog of Groundhog Day is only right about 40% of the time), they make for a good Shadowshot.

Groundhog in shadow from back in June, 2024.

Incidentally, Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow. Let's hope he's wrong again.

And, in a number of cultures, they are celebrating the new year.  This year will be the Year of the Snake.  This picture of a shake was taken this past September.

More information:

Groundhog Day.

Year of the Snake

Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventure for #ShadowshotSunday.

Groundhog Day Minus One

Are we already at the first day of February?  We are, and you know what that means.  Groundhog day is just around the corner. 

A happy summer groundhog near a local walking trail

February 2 is Skywatch Friday, so let me talk about February 2 today.

Tomorrow will be Groundhog Day in the United States, where we pull a groundhog out of the ground to predict the weather.   It's purely scientific, of course, and this is how it works: If the groundhog sees its shadow, we have six more weeks of winter.  If the groundhog doesn't see its shadow, we get an early spring.  

Of course, statistics tell us the groundhog is right less than 40% of the time. But tell that to the good people of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, who host the most famous groundhog of all.

The prediction for this year:  right now, tough to call.

I've been doing these posts for years because they are fun.

Last year a high of 36F (2.2C) and a low of 13F (-10.5 C).

2019 was the year of the polar vortex.  We in upstate New York didn't get the brunt of it, but still.  The morning before we set a new record of -10 (-23 C) with gusting winds.

2020, as we prepared to enter a pandemic period, the groundhog did not see its shadow.  But the weather did not listen, and we had a miserable spring, in the midst of our lockdown.  We even got snow in May, where I live in New York State.

2017?  It got up to 42F (5.5 Celsius) at our house.

In 2016, it was unseasonably warm for us. 

In 2015, one of our harshest Northeast winters in many years, the ground hog saw its shadow, despite the fact that it was overcast, and a rain/snow mix was moving in.  

In 2013, it didn't see its shadow and we still got six more weeks of winter.

The groundhog almost got the death penalty for that one.  Poor groundhog. (On the other hand, considering how many of my plants groundhogs have destroyed over the years, good thing I wasn't on that jury.) 

There are multiple predicting groundhogs in the United States, and they even compete with each other.  

And tomorrow, we do it again.

Bird and Squirrel #ShadowshotSunday

Two winter backyard shadow shots from this last week.  We finally had a stretch of sunny weather, as it was so cold, so I got to see shadows again.

A male Northern cardinal and a grey squirrel on the last day of January.  It was cold, and I took the picture from my house, so, unfortunately there are some unwanted spots in the photo.

More shadows, this time on Groundhog Day (February 2).

Today, joining with #ShadowshotSunday. 

 

Groundhog Day and Other Skies #SkywatchFriday

Yesterday was Groundhog Day in the United States, and if a groundhog had looked up where I live in New York State, he or she would have seen the sun.

 But the sky had a definite chill.  An arctic blast was on the way.

I took one more picture before I had to put my hands back in my gloves.

Today, though, the arctic blast is here.  It was in the 30's F yesterday. Right now the temperature is 12F (-11 C) and the wind is howling.    We will get close to, or below zero F (-17.7C), tonight.  No outdoor skywatching today or tomorrow. So what I would like to do, instead, is show you the sunset from January 28, another day when the sun decided to show itself.

A contrail in the middle of the photo.  After a sunny day, the clouds are returning.

And the sun says nighty-night, as the clouds build.

Joining with Yogi and other skywatchers each Friday for #SkywatchFriday.

Will The Groundhog Be Right in 2023?

February 2. The last February felt like just minutes ago.  Why does time speed by so quickly?

I feel duty bound to speak about this weirdest of holidays.

The rules are simple.

If the groundhog called Punxsutawney Phil (he or she lives in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania) sees its shadow, we have six more weeks of winter.  If the groundhog doesn't see its shadow, we get an early spring.  What does the groundhog get out of it?  An interrupted sleep and being held by obnoxious (to Phil) humans.

The groundhog usually sees his shadow because, hey, this is the Northeast United States and we don't get early springs here.  Well, we did get one in 2012, but don't bet on it this year.  We'll know for sure at 6:30 am today and here is the prediction:

Six more weeks of winter! (surprise)

This celebration has its own website.  They've been annoying groundhogs since 1887, when 1887's annoyed groundhog saw its shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter.  Well, keep in mind that's its prediction rate hovers around 40%.  But we keep doing it each year.

It also has its own history.  

 In 2013, it didn't see its shadow and we still got six more weeks of winter.

The groundhog almost got the death penalty for that one.

In 2016, it was unseasonably warm for us.  This year?  It got up to 42F (5.5 Celsius) at our house yesterday. This post from 2014 shows a more typical February day.

2020, as we prepared to enter a pandemic period, the groundhog did not see its shadow.  But the weather did not listen, and we had a miserable spring, in the midst of our lockdown.  We even got snow in May, where I live in New York State.

In 2022, I featured a picture of a groundhog.  As I blogged back in 2013: "I must admit, I do not have many warm and fuzzy feelings when it comes to groundhogs.  They have eaten too much of my gardens over the years for me to ever do anything nice for them. It's true the sustainable lifestyle means paying close attention to the clues Nature gives us, but I think dragging one out so it can see its shadow on live TV is a bit much."

But it does give us a moment of levity, something we desperately need.

What do you think of Groundhog Day?

Groundhog Day#WordlessWednesday

It's February 2 and, sometime this morning, we'll find out if we are going to have six more weeks of winter, or an early spring.  That is, if you believe that a groundhog can predict the weather.

This is a groundhog.  Whatever you say, please don't tell me that groundhogs are cute.  Each year, they manage to destroy one or more things spouse or I are trying to grow. Ditto for other gardeners.  That may be one reason why they are so plump.

If you want to find out more about Groundhog Day, you are welcome to read this post from 2017.

And oh, the groundhog saw its shadow. Six weeks more of winter!

 

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Joining Sandee for her #WordlessWednesday.

Pandemic Groundhog Day 2021

Time continues to march on.  Here we are in February, and another Groundhog Day has come.

The rules are simple.

If the groundhog called Punxsutawney Phil (he or she lives in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania) sees its shadow, we have six more weeks of winter.  If the groundhog doesn't see its shadow, we get an early spring.  Here's a little history of that tradition.

The groundhog usually sees his shadow.  Due to the pandemic, the party surrounding Phil's appearance in 2021 will all be virtual (starting at 6:30 am EST).  But it's never too late to plan your visit for 2022. 

It's sad in a way - normally thousands of people are there before dawn, waiting for the big moment. Now it's just a handful of people.

 
In 2015, one of our harshest Northeast winters in many years, the ground hog saw its shadow, despite the fact that it was overcast, and a rain/snow mix was moving in.  Somehow, that ground hog almost always sees its shadow.  In 2013, it didn't see its shadow and we still got six more weeks of winter.

The groundhog almost got the death penalty for that one.

In 2016, it was unseasonably warm for us.  This year?  It got up to 42F (5.5 Celsius) at our house yesterday. This post from 2014 shows a more typical February day.

Then there was 2019 and the polar vortex.  We in upstate New York didn't get the brunt of it, but still.  The morning before we set a new record of -10 (-23 C) with gusting winds.

2020, as we prepared to enter a pandemic period, the groundhog did not see its shadow.  But the weather did not listen, and we had a miserable spring, in the midst of our lockdown.  We even got snow in May, where I live in New York State.

So, what about 2021?  Actually, Punxsutawney Phil isn't the only groundhog in the United States that predicts the weather.  Buffalo, New York has one too, and it has already - er, spoken.

He didn't see his shadow.  Six more weeks of winter.

Meanwhile, we are in the middle of a snowstorm.

So there.

The Groundhog's Palindrome

Today, February 02, 2020, is both Groundhog Day and Superbowl Sunday in the United States.

Later today, groundhogs will be forced out of their winter snoozes to predict for American humans whether we would have an early spring or six more weeks of winter.

Tonight, 22 grown men collectively paid millions of dollars will chase and throw a ball around a field while tackling each other for everyone's pleasure.  (OK, sorry, it's more complicated than that.  At halftime, there will be some music.)

But today is even more interesting because today is a special day for people who like number patterns.  This one hasn't happened since the year 1111.

To keep my mind off what the groundhog predicted I read an interesting article about today's date being a universal palindrome.

Whether you write dates in American style (MM DD YYYY) or European style (DD MM YYYY)
today is a "universal palindrome"  02/02/2020.

We don't have to wait almost 1,000 years for the next one, but none of us alive today will have to worry about that.

Need a Super Bowl recipe?  Check these out:
Bean Dip
Guacamole, Peanut Sauce

And may you have a good time, regardless of what you do today.

Groundhog Sunset - #SkywatchFriday

Can there be such a thing as too many sunsets?

Well, I've been on a photography streak lately, because there have been so many lovely sunrises and sunsets, and it was hard to pick one.

I finally decided on our upstate New York sunset of Groundhog Day, February 2.

The groundhog declared an early spring, and with that beautiful blue sky, no wonder.

As the sunset, the color show began.

The blue fades.

I love how the sky can change in just a matter of minutes.

You know how this works.  Join Yogi and the other bloggers who watch the sky each Friday on #SkywatchFriday.  You'll be glad you did.

Local Saturday - The Frozen Groundhog

Today is Groundhog Day in the United States, where we pull a groundhog out of the ground to predict the weather.   It's purely scientific, of course, and this is how it works:

If the groundhog sees its shadow, we have six more weeks of winter.  If the groundhog doesn't see its shadow, we get an early spring - supposedly.

The groundhog usually sees his shadow, but, according to our Weather Channel, the main groundhog (in Pennsylvania) has only been accurate about 39% of the time.

In 2015, one of our harshest Northeast winters in many years, the ground hog saw its shadow, despite the fact that it was overcast, and a rain/snow mix was moving in.  Somehow, that ground hog almost always sees its shadow.

In 2013, it didn't see its shadow and we still got six more weeks of winter.   The groundhog almost got the death penalty for that one.  (On the other hand, considering how many of my plants groundhogs have destroyed over the years, good thing I wasn't on that jury.)

In 2016, it was unseasonably warm.  2017?  It got up to 42F (5.5 Celsius) at our house yesterday. This post from 2014 shows a more typical February day.

Then there was 2019 and the polar vortex.  We in upstate New York didn't get the brunt of it, but still.  The morning before we set a new record of -10 (-23 C) with gusting winds.

There are multiple predicting groundhogs in the United States, and they even compete with each other.  But this year, the two main groundhogs agreed.

They didn't see their shadow.  An early spring!  Well, since Thursday, this has been proved to be a bit overoptimistic, but some parts of our country are going to see a temperature swing of over 100 degrees between this week and next week.

Of course, since I woke up to plus 3 degrees F this morning (-16 C) we could use an early spring.

Let's cross our fingers!

Almost Time for the Groundhog

February!  One more month of winter gone (although, true confession, I spent a few days of it in Florida).

The statue I call my "snow angel" sat, confused, in melting snow on Saturday.  Now, the cold weather (and snow) are back again.

Yesterday, I never did see the eclipsed supermoon/blue moon.  Meanwhile, in upstate New York, many people are so sick of winter they would do almost anything to make it go away.  Yesterday, when I left for work, it was 10 degrees F (-12.2 C).  Later in the day, we had a little snow.  The weather, however, will be nastier in a few days.

February 2 is Skywatch Friday, so let me talk about February 2 today.

Tomorrow will be Groundhog Day in the United States, where we pull a groundhog out of the ground to predict the weather.   It's purely scientific, of course, and this is how it works:

If the groundhog sees its shadow, we have six more weeks of winter.  If the groundhog doesn't see its shadow, we get an early spring (ha).

The groundhog usually sees his shadow, but, according to our Weather Channel, the main groundhog (in Pennsylvania) has only been accurate about 39% of the time.

In 2015, one of our harshest Northeast winters in many years, the ground hog saw its shadow, despite the fact that it was overcast, and a rain/snow mix was moving in.  Somehow, that ground hog almost always sees its shadow.

In 2013, it didn't see its shadow and we still got six more weeks of winter.

The groundhog almost got the death penalty for that one. Yes, that's how we roll here.  Poor groundhog. (On the other hand, considering how many of my plants groundhogs have destroyed over the years, good thing I wasn't on that jury.)

In 2016, it was unseasonably warm for us.  2017?  It got up to 42F (5.5 Celsius) at our house yesterday. This post from 2014 shows a more typical February day.

There are multiple predicting groundhogs in the United States, and they even compete with each other.  Yes, we take our silly customs seriously here in the good ol' U S of A.

For those of my readers who don't live in the United States, here's a history of Groundhog Day, in case you are wondering why people in the United States still depend on a groundhog seeing his shadow (or not) to predict if winter will be over soon.

Then, here's what happened when a Wisconsin town's groundhog decided that weather predicting wasn't the right career choice for him. 

Remember the movie Groundhog Day?   Could any other country have produced this movie?  Well, guess what?  The movie turns 25 this year, and it is going to be re-released in the movie theatres on - February 2.

Do you celebrate Groundhog Day?  Or do you have a different type of holiday that makes you shake your head where you live?

Groundhog Day 2017

Today is Groundhog Day in the United States, where we pull a groundhog out of the ground to predict the weather.   It's purely scientific, of course, and this is how it works:

If the groundhog sees its shadow, we have six more weeks of winter.  If the groundhog doesn't see its shadow, we get an early spring.

The groundhog usually sees his shadow.  As I write this, it is still too soon to tell, but people seem to be having a good time.

In 2015, one of our harshest Northeast winters in many years, the ground hog saw its shadow, despite the fact that it was overcast, and a rain/snow mix was moving in.  Somehow, that ground hog almost always sees its shadow.  In 2013, it didn't see its shadow and we still got six more weeks of winter.

The groundhog almost got the death penalty for that one.

In 2016, it was unseasonably warm for us.  This year?  It got up to 42F (5.5 Celsius) at our house yesterday. This post from 2014 shows a more typical February day.

This morning, I woke up to snow. There's a 90% chance of more snow today.Perhaps February is here, after all.

There are multiple predicting groundhogs in the United States, and they even compete with each other.  Yes, we take our silly customs seriously here in the good ol' U S of A.

For those of my readers who don't live in the United States, here's a history of Groundhog Day, in case you are wondering why people in the United States still depend on a groundhog seeing his shadow (or not) to predict if winter will be over soon.

And here's what happened when a Wisconsin town's groundhog decided that weather predicting wasn't the right career choice for him. 

Remember the movie Groundhog Day?   Could any other country have produced this movie?

Do you celebrate Groundhog Day?  Or do you have another equally silly holiday where you live?

Groundhog Day 2016

Today is Groundhog Day in the United States, where we pull a groundhog out of the ground to predict the weather.   It's purely scientific, of course, and this is how it works:   If the groundhog sees its shadow, we have six more weeks of winter.  If the groundhog doesn't see its shadow, we get an early spring.

The groundhog usually sees his shadow.

In 2015, one of our harshest Northeast winters in many years, the ground hog saw its shadow, despite the fact that it was overcast, and a rain/snow mix was moving in.  Somehow, that ground hog almost always sees its shadow.  In 2013, it didn't see its shadow and we still got six more weeks of winter.

The groundhog almost got the death penalty for that one.

For those of my readers who don't live in the United States, here's a history of Groundhog Day, in case you are wondering why people in the United States still depend on a groundhog seeing his shadow (or not) to predict if winter will be over soon.

And here's what happened when a Wisconsin town's groundhog decided that weather predicting wasn't the right career choice for him.


Last year, for Groundhog Day in the Binghamton, New York, area, what is our weather like?

The lumps are flower planters

I woke up to these front steps, after we had a storm overnight.  You can sort of see the covered steps in the bottom of the photo.

Come on, tree.  Don't you know that a frown is just a smile upside down (according to cliche)?

But this year - what a difference a year made. In other parts of the United States, a blizzard is in progress.  For us in upstate New York, it is different.

Chenango River, downtown Binghamton, Feb 1 near sunset

Very different.  The rivers aren't even that frozen.

This was the weather forecast for January 31.  They were wrong.  We made it up to 53F (11.6C).  We have no snow on the ground.  As in "no snow". This, in an area that can get 80 inches (203 cm) or more of snow in a winter.

And, on Sunday, this was our five day forecast.

Will the groundhog be correct in 2016?  We'll know later this morning.

Does the area where you live have any old weather customs?