Groundhog Day: Mass Audubon's Ms. G Predicts an Early Spring

Ms. G did not see her shadow on an overcast Groundhog Day morning at Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln, which means everyone can look forward to an early spring. If the Official Groundhog of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts had seen her shadow, we’d all be facing six more weeks of winter.

This is the fifth-straight year that Ms. G did not see her shadow. Over the 16 years she has been making her prognostications, she is now even with eight predictions apiece of early springs and six more weeks of winter. Unlike in the past, this year she agreed with her Pennsylvania peer, Punxsutawney Phil.

The always anticipated seasonal gathering at the popular Metro West wildlife sanctuary and working farm again attracted an enthusiastic mix of attendees, from Ms. G fans including lots of families with kids to nature lovers and weather followers, the latter happy to consider woodchuck folklore as meteorologically valid for a day.

Metro West Regional Director Scott McCue welcomed those participants and others to the Groundhog Day celebration, which also featured family-friendly groundhog crafts, opportunities to observe other resident wildlife, and exploring the 291-acre sanctuary’s trail network.

McCue and Senior Teacher Naturalist Tia Pinney discussed how New England wildlife survives the winter and how the changing climate is impacting their habitats.

This year’s format was a bit different, with Ms. G’s meet-and-greet and prognostication taking place in the sanctuary’s Farm Life Center rather than outside. Ms. G is in the midst of hormone-related hair loss that is common among juvenile females, despite being completely healthy. Due to that hair loss, our Wildlife Care experts decided, out of an abundance of caution, to keep her indoors safe from the chilly winter weather.

Although Ms. G couldn’t go outside, she enlisted the help of approximately 30 kids in attendance who went out to look for their shadows but did not see any. They reported their findings to Ms. G, who then made a prediction of early spring.

Ms. G is grateful for her helpers this year and is already looking forward to being back outside next Groundhog Day!