I believe the above groundhog is Mabelline. Mabelline was the groundhog female who raised a litter of 5 smack next to our patio in 2025. https://pbase.com/britestar/image/175435505 She has denned under our deck since 2024.

Today was my first sight of her in 2026. However, both Bella and my husband have seen a groundhog (probably also Mabelline) popping in and out from underneath the edge of the deck for the past 2 weeks or more. It looks like she may be now moving to the woodpile, which was occupied in 2025 by her litter sister Woodpile Gal (who had her own 2025 litter of two): https://pbase.com/britestar/image/175457369 Today could be a sign that Mabelline may be trying to decide to use the ancestral woodpile for another litter this year. Meanwhile, no sight of Woodpile Gal yet this year.

We'll have to wait to see what happens next. This is the continuation of the story that Missouri Mabel started in the early spring of 2020. I've been watching a groundhog dynasty grow ever since then. 2026 is a new chapter.