Groundhogs and Wooly Bears

     Rodents and worms predicting the weather. What would Paul Harvey say?

    “Groundhog” is an alias for Marmot (genus Marmota) which is simply an inflated title for a rodent. And then there’s the wooly bear caterpillar which is nothing more than the larva of any number of moths. How could the color of the fur in their coat in the fall possibly predict the likelihood of a severe or mild winter. If Al Gore were correct, all wooly bears would be wearing only blonde.

    On Groundhog day, whether the day is cloudy when the groundhog emerges from his burrow or whether he is shaded from the sun by the shadows of all the top hats worn by the flock of prognosticator stewards and handlers, there will remain approximately 6 weeks until spring arrives as evidenced by the vernal equinox when the length of day equals the length of night.
   
    I use the word “approximately” since that is the equivalent of the word “probability” used by meteorologists.

                      “There is a 100% probability that there will be weather.
                      Whether it’s wet, dry, cold, white or windy remains to be seen.
                      The latest computer models indicate if this happens,
                      then that’ll happen. If not, then something else will happen,
                      unless…”
   

Well, if nothing else happens, we'll have tradition. That is not unpredictable.

It will never change.

And there you have the rest of the story.

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