Hi! I'm PeeWee, the Mile
Square Farm Spokeschuck.
 We all work hard here in Vermont, especially us woodchucks. In case you're
from away, I should explain that a woodchuck goes by lots of names in the United States.
In Pennsylvania, I've got a cousin named Punxsutawney Phil who's called a Groundhog. Out
west, my distant relations are called Prairie Dogs. Up in the plains, they're called
Marmots. Weird, huh? Ya see, we tolerate all those strange names here in the Green
Mountains because that's our way. It comes down from old Eatin' Allen, the First
Woodchuck. Him and his buddies found out that there was a passel of groundhogs from New
York who wanted to burrow in the Green Mountains. Old Eatin' and the Green Mountain Boys
tolerated them right outa the state!
We celebrated my favorite holiday of the year, February 2,
2009 here at the Farm: Groundhog Day!
See My Prediction!
 Interested to hear the year's predictions of my distant cousins, like
Punxsutawney Phil, the "Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of Prognosticators" and
other distant relations? Check-out the
Groundhog Day Gallery.
How about sending a free animated, musical
Groundhog Day Card?
You might want to also check-out our Folklore and History sections and our Book
of the Month Archives: Groundhog Day Carols.
And finally, here are a few more groundhog
related links:
Marmot Lore or how much wood does a woodchuck chuck?
The Care
and Feeding of Marmots
The Marmot Burrow (woodchucks are groundhogs and vice versa and they are one of the
14 recognized species of marmots)
Groundhog Stew or "Contry-Style Groundhog"
Here at Mile Square Farm, we're smack in the
middle of the Green Mountains that gave our state its name. VerMont is old French for
Green Mountain. There aren't too many old French around these days, so we just call it
Vermont now. But there are a lot of woodchucks, like me. Welcome to Mile Square Farm and enjoy your visit to
Vermont Only.
Hey!
Drop me a line.
Ask me anything! Woodchucks are smart. I'll answer your questions
or pass them on to my friends at the farm, like Dr. J and Doc or others who live in the
woods, like Melchior the Moose or Wanda the Wild Turkey. I also have some pretty sharp
farm animals for neighbors, including Buck and Bucky the giant oxen and Number 13 the
beefer.
Have any good woodchuck stories to share?
Send 'em along.
|
