Ms. G Predicts Six More Weeks of Winter

Ms. G, the official groundhog of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, saw her shadow while venturing outside at Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln, which means six more weeks of winter. If she had not seen her shadow, it would’ve meant an early spring.

This is the first time in five years that Ms. G saw her shadow, eliciting groans from more than 100 people who braved single-digit temperatures to celebrate at Drumlin Farm. Now in her eighteenth year of prognosticating, Ms. G has evenly split her predictions—nine times calling for an early spring and nine extended winters. She also agreed with her slightly more famous Pennsylvanian woodchuck colleague, Punxsutawney Phil, for the second year in a row.

Although Ms. G is far more accurate compared to Punxsutawney Phil with 60 percent of her predictions being on target as opposed to Phil’s 30 percent, she still wants to wish her friend congratulations on recently becoming a father.

The beloved annual event has become a seasonal fixture at the popular Metro West wildlife sanctuary and working farm, that attracts hundreds of attendees including scores of children eager to catch a glimpse of their favorite groundhog. Speaking of children, the story of Ms. G began with a group of first-graders at the Hunnewell School in Wellesley, who worked with Mass Audubon and local elected officials to write a bill that eventually became law in 2014, designating Ms. G as the state’s official groundhog.

“It’s a tremendous example of how small groups of people can work together for a common goal and that you’re never too young to start caring about nature and the outdoors,” said Mass Audubon President & CEO David O’Neill. “Safeguarding the habitat of local wildlife, like Ms. G, from the dual threats of climate change and biodiversity loss is at the heart of our mission and we’re so grateful to our staff, partners, and elected officials like Rep. Peisch for helping us protect the nature of Massachusetts.”

Metro West Regional Director Scott McCue welcomed attendees to the Groundhog Day celebration, which also featured family-friendly groundhog crafts, opportunities to observe other resident wildlife, and the chance to explore 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, and explained that Ms. G is one of several non-releasable animals at Drumlin with issues that prevent her from living successfully in the wild. People in attendance also learned that groundhogs are the third-largest member of the rodent family, can tunnel up to five feet in a single day, and are true hibernators whose body temperatures drop from 90 degrees to 40 degrees while their heartbeats go from 100 beats per minute to as few as four.

After taking a few moments to sniff the air and get used to her surroundings, Ms. G playfully cannonballed around her enclosure to the delight of everyone in attendance.

State Rep. Alice Peisch, D-Wellesley, then made the official declaration that Ms. G had indeed seen her shadow bringing six more weeks of winter. It was a homecoming of sorts for Peisch, who was a sponsor on the legislation that made Ms. G the official groundhog in 2014, and is a dedicated supporter of climate work in the Commonwealth.

“I would like to thank Mass Audubon for inviting me to partake in this wonderful event,” Peisch said. “As we gather for Groundhog Day—a tradition that has lasted more than 100 years—we are reminded of the importance of connecting with nature and what is at stake in the fight against climate change.”