The Snowflake Chronicles

Only the Shadow Knows

Response to "Only the Shadow Knows"  by Sophy for "Invalid Item"   by A Guest Visitor

Only the shadow knows that the true predictor of an early or late spring is Mojave Max and not Punxsutawney Phil. Max is a desert tortoise who lives at the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and has his own webpage at http://www.mojavemax.com/. Max doesn’t depend on seeing his shadow when it come the predicting the arrival of spring. His method is much more sophisticated than that.

Max entered his burrow for the winter on October 28 at 2:30 p.m. and went into brumation (a form of reptilian hyphenation). He will remain in this state until warm weather awakens him and he comes outside again. In 2006 Max emerged on April 3 at 11:32 a.m. In 2004, he marked an early spring by emerging on February 19 at 11:14 a.m. Again, in 2005 Max predicted an early spring, that year he re-emerged on February 14 at 11:55 a.m. Whether or not Max sees his shadow when he re-emerges from his burrow is of little importance. It’s his coming out that indicates spring is here; just as his going into the burrow indicates its winter in the valley.