...it's called "questing" in the tick world.
Ever so patiently this female Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum) waits, with sensor-equipped forelegs raised, for an unsuspecting host to happen by. When a likely prospect brushes against the grass, the tick grabs on (no, they can't jump) and scurries to find a spot to tuck in for a blood meal.
14 comments:
Oh, I hate these little suckers (pun intended). The kids always seem to bring them with. Of course it's a tick's paradise around here. Maybe I should use Frontline on the kids, too?
Grins,
Crystal*
*puts Frontline on his shopping list*
Interesting! I wondered how they found us.
I'm so glad that chickens and ducks loooove to eat ticks. :)
Oh, tick season. Just one of those things, I guess. Better ticks than carnivorous predators, I say.
I dunno, I might prefer getting chomped by a tiger to getting tick-borne encephalitus. But I hope to avoid both fates ...
How appropriate that it's named for Texas! LoL.
BTW--about 19 days before we head down that way & counting! would you happen to know what the water temp is like? it has been unusally chill, has it not?
also, what's the job market like? any chance a squirrel like me could relocate to a swamp near you? (ie. how are economic prospects in NC right now?)
SQMojo, it has been a bit chilly thus far this spring. Today's highs here in the swamp are in the 70s and just a tad lower out on the coast. Tomorrow's highs are supposed to be in the 60s -- downright cold as far as I'm concerned! But we have had days in the 80s sprinkled in here and there.
I assume you are vacationing at the beach. Are you headed to the Outer Banks or the Crystal Coast? My son lives down in Wilmington and it has been nice and warm down there.
As for the job market in NC...depends on which part of the state you are interested in and what type of job you are seeking. The Piedmont has a much more dynamic market than we do here in rural northeastern NC (except for right along the coast, of course). Don't know about the mountains -- they are soooooo far from here :)
p.s. If you are headed for the Banks, you won't be too far from my swamp. As a matter of fact, you may even pass right by depending on the route you are taking.
So how are you doing with Su Doku? I am finding Difficult, difficult.
I got off to a slow start with the first Su Doku that I did -- the logic gene wouldn't kick in! But now I am getting better and have moved up to the medium puzzles -- haven't tackled a hard one yet.
I don't know about encephalitis, but Lyme disease ain't no fun either. I believe it is this species that is the main vector for it.
(shudders)
As much as I love arthropods, I can definitely say I like some more than others. Ticks are pretty close to the bottom of the heap.
...and a hush covered the swamp like a tinted casserole lid delicately placed to keep in the warmth. But the inhabitants were not comforted by this, and sought the one they call Swampy.
Su doku, bwah - hah - ha!
thanks for the info Swampy--will keep in mind. may have to pack some denim & fleece! i agree--too cold.
we are headed to Emerald Isle--bit North of Wilmington, no? Yet, Wilmington was just the place I was looking at . . . know of any good swamps to visit while we are in the area?
SQMojo
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