Black legged tick (Deer tick)

Wooded areas, tall grass, and leaf litter where they wait for hosts to brush by.

Blood from mammals (including humans), birds, and reptiles.

Questing behavior: they climb to the tips of vegetation and extend their legs to latch onto passing hosts. They have a four-stage life cycle: egg, larva, nymph, and adult.

Major health risk as a primary vector for Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis. They provide no significant ecosystem benefits and are considered a parasitic pest.