How Much Wood Can a Woodchuck Chuck?

Happy Groundhog/Woodchuck Day! I thought I would peruse my old book collection and do a posting of a variety of lovely illustrations of the groundhog ~ or woodchuck. Alas, I could find none worth posting in any of the books I have ~ either the animal wasn't even mentioned or no illustration had been commissioned of the creature. I even checked children's books I had, but no luck there either. I feel sorry for the ignored groundhog ~ sure, maybe he isn't the most popular of the rodent family, but why not a Groundhog George or a Woodchuck Willie ~ he could have been just as well liked as Mickey Mouse, if only given the chance!

Groundhogs are also good genetic models for studying the human hepatitus B virus ~ I found that out here. The lovely illustrations I was able to find are from the New York Public Library Digital Collection.
At least the lowly groundhog has been given a day of honor ~ Hail to the Groundhog!

Six more weeks of winter for us ~ right about now I'm wishing I was a groundhog so I could hibernate until spring!