Did it see its shadow? Feb 2, 2021

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:

Nov 1, 2018Celebrating the Day of the Dead
Feb 24, 2024Almond trees in full bloom, California
Oct 10, 2021A shell of many colors
May 20, 2023World Bee Day
Oct 3, 2024Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Feb 16, 2021Mardi Gras flower power
Jan 3, 2024J.R.R. Tolkien Day
Sep 22, 2022First day of autumn
Apr 25, 2019Here comes summer
Sep 4, 2022Arambol Beach, Goa, India
Nov 5, 2021Pont Rouge
May 4, 2024Star Wars Day
Aug 8, 2021Bridge to infinity
Jun 3, 2021Get on your bike and ride
May 1, 2018The Sky Over Nine Columns in Venice, Italy
Feb 7, 2019A wonder in winter
Jan 11, 2024Eurasian lynx
Dec 22, 2021Illuminating Annecy
Jun 11, 2025Greater flamingos, Lüderitz, Namibia
Oct 23, 2025International Day of the Snow Leopard
Feb 16, 2024Great Backyard Bird Count
Sep 19, 2020Arrr, it be Talk Like a Pirate Day
Dec 3, 2025Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico
Oct 15, 2024Great wildebeest migration at Mara River, Kenya
Jan 13, 2019On the hunt
Mar 25, 2018Jan van Eyckplein in Bruges, Belgium
Sep 17, 2023Cuban tody, Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, Cuba
Mar 25, 2020It s Tolkien Reading Day
May 22, 2020The scene of a literary crime
Feb 9, 2026Amur leopard cat, Russia