Is the groundhog a Scot?

[macwilkin]

It's quite likely that both traditions simply derived from the same folk wisdom. That is, if you have a bright sunny day on February 2, it was most likely that you would have more bad weather before winter is over.

Although, I'm all for getting Phil to wear a kilt.

Exactly. The Germans in the old country used a badger, and then later a groundhog here in the US. Other sources note that hibernating bears and wolves were also used as "weather detectors".

T.