Rebel’s Return: A Groundhog in Maine

A couple of years ago, we had a family of groundhogs take up residence under our shed in the backyard. You can read all about them here. I haven’t seen any of these family members until now. About a week ago, a groundhog found its way into the pool area. It squeezed under the fence door and walked around like it had been here before. The only groundhog that has ever come into this area is a groundhog from that family. Could it be the groundhog I call Rebel? Well, a couple of days later I found its tracks on the garage floor and discovered that it has taken up residence under the woodpile in the garage. The groundhog was also using the same burrow under the porch in the front that Rebel had used before moving on. I can’t be sure, but I think this might be the same groundhog from a couple of summers ago. It seems to be quite familiar with its surroundings and is repeating the same behavioral patterns. Here are a few photographs of the groundhog that I have taken during this past week.

A groundhog (Marmota monax), looking into the pool

A groundhog (Marmota monax), looking out from inside the fenced-in pool area

A groundhog (Marmota monax), inside the garage

A groundhog (Marmota monax), looking out from under wood pallets

Another view of a groundhog (Marmota monax), looking out from under a woodpile

A groundhog (Marmota monax), coming out from under a woodpile

A groundhog (Marmota monax), outside its temporary residence

An alert groundhog (Marmota monax)

A groundhog (Marmota monax), eating in the flower garden next to the front porch

A groundhog (Marmota monax), eating cilantro (Apiaceae), in my herb garden

A groundhog (Marmota monax), foraging for food during a rainstorm

A groundhog (Marmota monax), in the front yard

A groundhog (Marmota monax), eating grass (Poaceae), in the front yard

The back of a groundhog (Marmota monax), sitting upright in the grass