Black legged tick (Deer tick)

Wooded areas, brushy fields, and tall grass where hosts like mice and deer are present.

Blood of mammals, birds, and reptiles.

Questing behavior, where they wait on vegetation to latch onto passing hosts; four life stages: egg, larva, nymph, and adult.

Primary vector of Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis; no direct benefits to humans, but serves as a food source for some reptiles and birds.