These American Dog Ticks are less than 1/4 inch long. The first image shows an adult female, according to BugGuide experts; the second image shows a male. The Rocky Mountain Wood Tick looks similar, but is out of range. Nymphs of these and other ticks are much smaller and hardly seen with the naked eye. But they also attach to the skin to suck blood.
These ticks are common at both Fontenelle Forest and Neale Woods. Their abundance varies greatly during the growing season. Look out for them especially in early spring. They seem to diminish in numbers after a heavy spring rain.
Hikers, especially those who don’t strictly stay on the trails should wear light clothes and periodically check their clothes for ticks, who tend to crawl upwards until they find their way to soft skin.
The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Forest who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page is: Roland Barth.