It's February 2nd, and according to American folklore, the groundhog (a species of ground-dwelling squirrels known as marmots) will emerge from his burrow and determine whether winter has ended or if we have six more weeks of bad weather. If the groundhog sees its shadow, it will scoot back into its burrow and continue hibernating until warm weather arrives.
(The celebration in America has its roots in Pennsylvania Dutch customs, which in turn originate from European weather lore, but with badgers or bears as the weather predicters.)
The most famous groundhog in the US is Punxsutawney Phil, celebrated in the Pennsylvania town of Punxsutawney. Rival celebrations involve Wiarton Willie in Wiarton, Ohio and General Beauregard Lee in Lilburn, Georgia.
We don't have groundhogs in West Texas (too hot and too dry for them), but we do have prairie dogs, a closely related species.
Prairie dogs make a pretty good stand-in for groundhogs, and a few West Texas towns are putting on an unofficial Prairie Dog celebrations.
Unfortunately, it's going to be warm and sunny at 10 AM this morning - meaning six more weeks of winter.
Happy Groundhog Day from France.
