DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Happy Hedgehog Day? The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery’s Walnut the hedgehog forecasted spring for Groundhog Day!
At 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 2, Walnut the hedgehog made her inaugural prediction.
In agreement with Punxsutawney Phil, Walnut saw her shadow and forecasted six more weeks of winter!
According to Boonshoft, the annual tradition actually is a nod to the ancient Roman custom of Candlemas Day, where hedgehogs were initially used to predict spring.
Prior Prognosticators
Walnut the hedgehog comes after a long line of prognosticators at the Boonshoft Museum.
- Odyssey the Otter in 2021 — actually a man in an otter suit that filled in for the year
- Quilliam from 2007 to 2020, the museum’s first weather-predicting hedgehog
- Rosie the groundhog from 2012 to 2016
- Ivy the groundhog started in 2001, the museum’s original groundhog who was the main attraction for 11 years
For more information about the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, click here.
