Happy Marmota monax Day! Groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, have entrenched themselves in the environment and culture of the University. But they are, of course, still wild animals and鈥攆or everyone鈥檚 safety鈥攕hould not be approached or fed.
To mark Groundhog Day this year, here are three things you might not know about our furry cohabitants at Rochester:
- 鈥淭hey love to eat the annuals we plant,鈥� says John McIntyre, trades supervisor and area manager for University Horticulture and Grounds. 鈥淲e deliberately try to plant flowers we think they won鈥檛 nibble on. Through trial and error, the staff have discovered what they do and don鈥檛 like.But because they鈥檒l sup on almost any vegetation, McIntyre and his team wait until the night before (or even the morning of) commencement to put the decorative potted plants out around the Eastman Quad.
- You can find groundhogs virtually all over the University grounds鈥攐n the various quads, in the baseball and football fields, at Witmer House on the Mt. Hope Campus.鈥淭hey tend to burrow into the steps of buildings. We then fill the holes only to find they鈥檝e been dug out again within a few hours,鈥� McIntyre says. 鈥淭he only place they don鈥檛 seem to like is the Medical Center, probably because they can鈥檛 easily cross Elmwood.鈥�
- The groundhog is the unofficial mascot of the Sage Art Center.
