Did you know?
Groundhog Facts:
- Groundhogs (Marmota monax), also known as woodchucks, are
the largest member of the squirrel family.
- They can eat up to 1.5 lbs. of vegetation per day during the summer in preparation for the next winter’s hibernation.
- Researchers calculated that each groundhog digs an average of 384 pounds of soil and stone to complete its burrow.
- Those white tips at the end of their fur are guard hairs. They protect against abrasion and moisture.
Wooly bear Facts:
Wooly bear caterpillars (Pyrrharctia isabella), cute as they seem, can be cannibalistic under certain conditions.
- Each time a wooly bear molts (they molt?!?), a black band becomes a rust-colored band. So an older caterpillar is rustier. However, it is not an indicator of winter severity.
- Caterpillars molt about six times as they grow.
Lilac Facts:
- The ubiquitous common lilacs (Syringa vulgaris) are an introduced
species from Europe.
- Lilac bushes are used as nesting sites for all kinds of creatures including raptors in some parts of the US and salamanders in others.
Sources:
Groundhogs – https://www.pennlive.com/wildaboutpa/2018/01/15_things_you_dont_know_about_1.html
Wooleybears – https://uwm.edu/field-station/wooly-bear-caterpillar-re-do/
For more info on lilacs as shelterbelts – https://www.kansasforests.org/conservation_trees/products/shrubs/lilac.html