Whistle Pig

We have groundhogs living under the outbuilding not far from the house.

Sometimes they come up to the patio.

I am not supposed to like them, because the holes they leave behind are dangerous to cattle and such, but I think they're kind of cute. 

Look at those little, tiny ears.

They may be small, but they must hear very well. Groundhogs take off fast when they get the slightest notion of danger. I have watched them zoom away on countless occasions.

This one must have been very involved in eating the clover around the patio because I was able to get these shots without it running off.

My husband calls them whistle pigs sometimes. I don't know why, exactly, except that if you can do a loud whistle, they will stand up and look at you.

I can whistle, but not as well as I used to, so I haven't tried to whistle at a groundhog in a long time.

My National Audubon Southeastern Field Guide says that groundhogs are formally called "woodchucks," although we've never called them that. We've always called them groundhogs.

The book also says they are in the squirrel family, and while I've seen one grab hold of a tree trunk and cling there, I've never seen one actually up in a tree. 

These animals are vegetarian and usually I see them eat grass and clover during the warmer months. They stay mostly in their burrows from November through March.

I guess the best-known groundhog is the one in Pennsylvania that's supposed to tell the weather.

Mine, I think, are just quiet, sweet pests and they don't have much to say about the forecast.