Did it see its shadow? Feb 2, 2021

Did it see its shadow?

For many people, the last year has been a bit like the movie "Groundhog Day," with every day feeling the same. But today actually is Groundhog Day. This marmot in Austria popped up to see…a rainbow? We"re not sure what that means for the weather forecast, but it feels like a good sign. (The groundhog is a type of North American marmot.) In the US, the tradition says that if the groundhog sees its shadow, six more weeks of winter are in store. If it doesn"t, then we"re looking at an early spring. There"s no science behind it; the custom has its roots in Pennsylvania Dutch culture and was popularized by the Punxsutawney Spirit newspaper in Pennsylvania in 1887—and again by the Bill Murray movie in 1993.

© SeppFriedhuber/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Feb 2, 2018Alpine marmots at Hohe Tauern National Park, Austria
Feb 2, 2019Groundhog Day arrives—beyond a shadow of a doubt
Feb 2, 2020Hut, hut, hike!
Feb 2, 2022Groundhog Day
Feb 2, 2023Groundhog Day
Feb 2, 2024Groundhog Day
Feb 2, 2025Groundhog Day
Feb 2, 2026Groundhog Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jun 29, 2022International Day of the Tropics
Oct 31, 2019Protect your neck
Oct 22, 2024Palazzo Zuccari, Rome
Apr 25, 2021One giant leap for penguins
Apr 8, 2024Total solar eclipse
Dec 23, 2023Festivus
Sep 25, 2024Sequoia National Parks 134th anniversary
Mar 29, 2018It’s Opening Day for Major League Baseball
Jul 1, 2020Canada s $20 view
Sep 3, 2025Annivesary of the Wilderness Act of 1964
Nov 24, 2024Sonoma Coast State Park, California
Jul 28, 2020Over the boardwalk
Aug 31, 2018Let’s have a ball
May 7, 2023World Laughter Day
Jan 6, 2021Travels to the Oregon deep
Apr 2, 2026Wildflower bloom, Central Valley, California
Sep 15, 2018A Latino art exhibition in Denver
Mar 6, 2020Hello, harbinger of spring
Apr 30, 2024Cheetah in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
Dec 18, 2025Celebrating 54 years of Capitol Reef National Park
Oct 28, 2021Necropolis of Dargavs
Sep 22, 2024Autumnal equinox
Sep 17, 2020Citizenship Day and Constitution Day
Jan 20, 2024Penguin Awareness Day
Jun 6, 2022Indigo bunting
Dec 14, 2025Audubon Christmas Bird Count
Sep 15, 2019A light on National Hispanic Heritage Month
Nov 15, 2023Rapa Valley in Sarek National Park, Sweden
Oct 7, 2018Room at the top?
Jan 30, 2026St. Michaels Mount in Marazion, Cornwall, England