Ohio's State Groundhog: Buckeye Chuck

Buckeye Chuck is one of two groundhogs in Ohio known for predicting the arrival of spring. A native of Marion, Ohio, Chuck began predicting spring's arrival in the 1970s.

From late September until early April, Buckeye Chuck spends his time hibernating. On February 2, against his will, Chuck emerges from his sleep to predict the weather. In 1979, the Ohio legislature made Buckeye Chuck Ohio's official groundhog.

Using groundhogs to predict the weather came from Germany. A long-held German tradition states that if a hibernating animal sees its shadow on February 2, six more weeks of winter will occur. In the United States, this tradition evolved into Ground Hog Day. Generally, wild groundhogs live to only two years of age while domesticated ones commonly live to ten years of age. While groundhogs rarely live more than a decade, some people contend that Buckeye Chuck is the same groundhog that has predicted the weather for almost thirty years.