Our groundhog has come out of hibernation, as I’m sure its many relatives have. This one was at our neighbours, and looked like he/she was collecting leaves for the nest.
It wasn’t very happy to see me, but didn’t run away. I think it thought if it turned its back, I might go away.
The dark area to the left of the picture below is its entrance to its nest. Apparently they have a main entrance and one or more “spyholes” for added safety from enemies.
We have seen a black one a few years ago, but I was never able to get a picture of it. If it is black, it is known to have melanistic fur which is the opposite of albino fur.
Although the groundhog likes to eat some of my plants, and makes it too difficult to have a vegetable garden, I still like to see it as it appears on and off through the summer months.
