Pennsylvania German Groundhog Lodges

The groundhog, an indigenous creature of North America, has been associated for centuries with the Pennsylvania German tradition of weather prognostication.

In fact, the tradition of using an animal for weather prognostication was introduced here in America by the first German immigrants who had participated in a similiar European tradition for centuries. However, since groundhogs did not exist in a European enivronment, the badger was the chosen creature.