A Hungry Groundhog

Groundhog. Woodchuck. Two different names for the same animal. This animal is actually a big ground squirrel. I prefer the name groundhog, but woodchuck is more fun to say. Look at him. He does look sort of like a small hog, doesn't he?

This groundhog was one of many that I found at this particular park. In the morning these groundhogs come out to eat grass before most of the humans show up. There are literally dozens of these creatures out here. They live very close to each other at this place even though they are usually kind of solitary creatures.

This particular groundhog is about twice as big as a normal house cat. Maybe even bigger than that. It's probably about normal sized for a groundhog. I followed it for a little while, and I even got some video this time. Video is becoming one of my favorite things.


So my newest episode of Rat TV features this groundhog walking around in the grass, eating as it goes along. Groundhogs have to eat as much as they can all summer so they can fatten up to prepare for their long winter hibernation underground. They get fatter and fatter and bigger and bigger all summer.

One thing I noticed while watching this groundhog was its ears. Yes, I said its ears. They look oddly human-like  to me. I found that oddly interesting that their ears are shaped so much like our own. I noticed thew same thing in other ground squirrels too.

Tree squirrels and chipmunks don't seem to share this trait with them though. I wonder without checking if these groundhogs have similar hearing to our own. It would be interesting to find out. I will probably check around a little bit later. I'll leave that little tidbit open for you to do the same.

And this is the last picture of the day of this big guy. If you want to see more cool pictures and video of groundhogs go visit one of my favorite bloggers at Photography By Ginny. I think Ginny has some new woodchuck photos up right now. She gets some excellent stuff.

On to a new subject. I think taking weekends off is finally beginning to re-energize me. Yesterday I felt more relaxed and content while out on my hike than I have in a very long time. Nature is there to relax us, but even that wasn't doing it for me as much as I'd like. Yesterday was a good turning point for me though I think.

Nature always takes my mind off my everyday worries, but sometimes I let those small worries get out of control. Being able to relax is always the best cure for that kind of thing. And a good long walk is one of the best things to clear your mind. The exercise really helps push all the bad things right out of you, and the nature all around you can help you relax. Try to remember that when your problems seem bad.


Nature Center Magazine -The Free Wallpaper for this week is a landscape picture I took just yesterday while I was out hiking.