The woodchuck, also known as the groundhog, is the largest member of the squirrel family and a common sight across North America. As a diurnal herbivore, its diet is entirely plant-based, governing its daily activities and seasonal survival. Its preference for certain vegetation often brings it into close contact with human gardens and cultivated areas. Woodchucks must efficiently consume high-quality forage to prepare for their long winter hibernation.
The Core Diet: Herbaceous Plants and Grasses
The bulk of a woodchuck’s daily food intake consists of fresh, succulent, low-growing green vegetation. They are highly selective herbivores, preferring broad-leaved plants, which are higher in protein and nutrients than most grasses. This preference leads them to consume significant quantities of legumes and forbs, often referred to as “weeds.”
Preferred wild foods include clover and alfalfa, which provide necessary protein. Other favored choices are dandelions, goldenrods, and various species of wild grasses. Woodchucks seek out the tender, new growth of these plants because it offers the highest concentration of easily digestible nutrients and moisture.
After emerging from their dens in March, woodchucks require highly nutritious green growth to rebuild strength. Their diet selection focuses on maximizing nutrient intake from available foliage. Throughout the spring and summer, they consume this fresh plant matter repeatedly over multiple foraging trips each day.
Opportunistic Foods and Seasonal Variations
While wild herbaceous plants form the staple diet, woodchucks are opportunistic feeders that readily consume high-calorie items when available. Near human activity, they often target cultivated fruits and vegetables, which provide a sugar-rich supplement.
Cultivated Foods
Commonly consumed garden vegetables include:
- Peas
- Beans
- Carrot tops
- Lettuce
They also eat cultivated fruits like raspberries, blueberries, and cherries.
The diet shifts toward the end of summer in preparation for hibernation, which begins in September or October. Woodchucks seek high-fat, energy-rich foods to build necessary fat reserves. Their body weight can increase dramatically, sometimes up to 100 percent, before winter.
In early spring, when fresh green shoots are scarce, woodchucks may consume the buds, twigs, and bark of deciduous trees and shrubs. This sustains them until new growth appears, helping them accumulate body fat for the long non-feeding period.
Foraging Behavior and Hydration
Woodchucks spend a significant portion of the day foraging, often making multiple trips outside their burrow. They use powerful incisors to clip off vegetation close to the ground. Unlike some rodents, woodchucks do not possess cheek pouches for carrying food back to their burrows.
Foraging is concentrated in the early morning and late afternoon, aligning with crepuscular patterns, especially during warmer months. They rarely travel more than 150 yards from their burrow while feeding, ensuring a quick escape route from predators.
Woodchucks rarely need to drink standing water, obtaining nearly all necessary hydration from the vegetation they consume. The green plants they favor have a naturally high water content, which meets their physiological needs.