SHORT STORIES ABOUT WOODCHUCKS
The Monday Garden, Eco-gardening at its best
May 14, 2005, Issue 164
SHORT STORIES ABOUT WOODCHUCKS (GROUNDHOGS)
This is my "short story about a woodchuck"; please add your story in the comments section at the end of the article. And, let's keep our small friends safe!
Here’s the mother woodchuck (groundhog)(Marmota monax) who lives under my friend’s back porch in an older residential area of Stamford, CT, that has mostly small lots (and no energy-wasteful McMansions, thank you!). Mama Woodchuck, as she’s known, is taking a break from childcare to munch on some lettuce just put out for her.
picture: nursing mother woodchuck, undisclosed location, Stamford CT, May 2005
If she’s typical of her breed, she is about 16 inches long, weighs up to 10 pounds, sleeps November to February, and has 4 to 6 children annually in late April-early May. The kids are born naked, weighing just grams. They grow quickly, are weaned, and move out by midsummer. Despite her best efforts, up to 75% of her children will die before their first birthday. Some of the young ones will be killed by humans, cars or predators; and some for reasons not fully understood will die during hibernation. “Mama W” herself, having successfully reached adulthood, should live about 6 years.
Do you have a "Short Story About a Woodchuck" to share? If so, please post it in the Comments section at the end of this article.