Posted by Janet Harriett on Feb.17, 2010

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons User R6MaY89

Groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, are common in many areas of the U.S. Though they are generally skittish, they will live in close proximity to humans and may establish burrows under sheds or decks.

My own house came with at least one groundhog in residence, and the main entrance to his burrow is under the outbuilding at the back of the property. I’ve always called it a “him,” though the presence of a second groundhog foraging in late summer may indicate it’s actually a female. By now probably the second or third generation of groundhog to establish in that den, since I’ve lived here longer than most groundhogs live in the wild.I grew up outside the normal range for groundhogs. If we had woodchucks on the west coast, we certainly did not have them in the middle of the suburb I called home. When I first saw a cat-sized animal back in the orchard, sitting on its hind legs and munching an apple, I couldn’t figure out what sort of animal it was. It looked a little like a raccoon from a distance, but only came out during the day while raccoons are notoriously nocturnal. Except for the one time I walked in on the woodchuck in the barn, it hasn’t let me get close enough to get a really good look.

Every year, I watch for the first sighting of the woodchuck in spring, always well after February 2. Woodrow - yes, I name the frequent wildlife visitors in my yard - makes almost daily appearances during summer and early fall, foraging around the den area. The groundhog has actually worn a path in the grass from the burrow entrance down to the orchard.

The groundhog is fun to watch forage. Woodchucks eat lawn-type vegetation when no fruit is available, but as soon as the June drop starts with the apples, my resident groundhog will come down to the orchard, find a piece of fruit on the ground, and sit up on its hind legs to hold the fruit in its forepaws to eat it. Groundhogs can climb trees, and my resident groundhog does occasionally scale an apple tree when none of the windfall fruit are to his liking.

My resident groundhog isn’t a pest. In fact, he serves several useful functions in my backyard ecology. He keeps the apple orchard clean of fallen fruit, though he has a demonstrated preference for windfall pears if that’s an option. He also keeps a very nice den occupied by a trouble-free animal. In the wild, good dens don’t go unused. This one is convenient to a food and water source, and the neighbor’s dog’s barking keeps most predators away. If the groundhog weren’t living there, a skunk, fox, opossum or weasel probably would be. After having a skunk spend a few days in the backyard last summer before dying in my hostas, I welcome such a low-maintenance burrow tenant.

While groundhog burrows can be destructive-you probably don’t want one under the foundation of your house, for example-they aerate the soil and facilitate groundwater movement and storm drainage back into the groundwater supply. If a groundhog isn’t causing structural damage or eating your entire backyard garden before you do, they’re worth keeping around.

Next Week: What to do if your groundhog is a pest

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Posted under Living, Nature and Environment.