This was one of the last groundhogs I photographed this year. While I did see a few more into early October, I never got near enough for a photograph. These large ground squirrels are true hibernators, unlike their small chipmunk cousins, who will awake periodically throughout the winter to eat and even to emerge if the weather warms up briefly. Groundhogs, however, sleep the deep sleep of the true hibernator, body temperatures, breathing, all slow down, and they are out for the count until the first warm days of spring. They can often be seen on the snow, fooled by warming temperatures into thinking it is green above ground. In this case, they have a harder time finding food.