Science and Groundhog Day

posted by Helen

As a kid, I wondered about the predictive capabilities of groundhogs. Perhaps it says something about the shallowness of my nature that, unlike the groundhog, I assumed a bright sunny day to be a harbinger of spring, not the harsh sentence of 6 more weeks or winter.

This morning as I walked Cammy and contemplated the shadows we were casting on the headstones of Old Quechee Cemetery, I wondered again about the science of groundhog day. It is a bright, clear, cold day.

Naturally, I turned to Google as soon as I sat down at my desk. There is some science to the superstition.