Yesterday I had my first foray this spring into Valley Forge Park looking for good insects and spiders to photograph. It was truly amazing just walking a few yards into the grass to find so many different species. At the insistence of my good husband, I was covered from head to toe in protective clothing in case any little tick critters might want to climb aboard. It was a good thing too, because as I was sitting in the grass photographing a little white caterpillar I saw right in front of me, a little tick perched upside down at the tip of a blade of grass. Six of his eight legs were sticking out as far as he could stretch them. I took a photo and then came home and looked up tick behavior. I found that my tick is a "Hard" tick and his position on the grass was his questing position. He sits there with arms outstretched just waiting for a warm blooded being to brush up against him and he easily clings on and then does what good ticks do. It kind of made me a bit uneasy to realize that all his little friends were out there too, just waiting for someone like me to walk by. I put my clothes in the washing machine and did a thorough check and then got in the shower. Let's hope and pray these little guys find no interest in my little old body this spring and summer.
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