Groundhog Phil Saw his shadow

 Punxatawney Phil is a PA tradition.  The movie Groundhog Day, made the tradition  known to those who live elsewhere in the country. 

thisd year Facebiook is flooded with hil posts.  Everyone wants to get in on the legend.  I grew up knowing about him.  But Feb 2 was also Mom's birthday and we used to ask her if she saw her shadow.  Well every year I am curious what he has to say and this year it was not good news.

BREAKING: Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and called for six more weeks of winter. He is now fleeing the scene on foot. Some of the posts show bears chasing Phil, another has a wolf right after him, and others show Phil arrested.

Even here on the MN WI border, people think they have a groundhog, but none replace Phil. The rest are just wanna be's.

Even my SIL a CA born and raised who lives in Denver now sent me a text with Phil on it. Kind of amusing to those of us who are long with this tradition.

These facts were taken from an interesting FB page I follow, PA Thing:

Did You Know? 10 Facts About Punxsutawney Phil

1. Phil is “over 100 years old.”

According to legend, he drinks a magical “elixir of life” every summer that adds seven more years to his lifespan.

2. His predictions go back to the 1880s.

Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney was first officially observed in 1886, and the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club formed in 1889.

3. The tradition comes from Europe.

The shadow legend is based on an old European weather belief tied to Candlemas, later brought to Pennsylvania by German immigrants.

4. Phil has seen his shadow far more often than not.

Historically, Phil has predicted six more weeks of winter much more frequently than an early spring.

5. There are missing years in his record.

Phil’s prediction was not recorded for nine different years for unknown reasons.

6. Phil has no known offspring (until recently).

For most of his history, Phil was said to have no descendants at all.

7. His favorite food is dandelion leaves.

Especially in early spring, dandelions are reportedly his meal of choice.

8. Phil is much larger than a normal groundhog.

He reportedly weighs about 18 pounds in fall and measures roughly 22 inches long.

9. A baby groundhog is called a “kit.”

In the spring of 2024, Phil’s wife Phyllis gave birth to twins named “Sunny” and “Shadow.”

10. Phil is Pennsylvania’s most famous animal.

He has his own club, his own library, and a world-famous ceremony held every year at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney.

The explanation of this photo of Phil included that he was arrested while trying to flee but just dug himself in deeper. (That's a take on his heritage, groundhogs burrow in for winter.