Hard tick (likely a female blacklegged/deer tick)

Woodlands, brush, leaf litter, and grassy areas; ticks attach to passing animals or people.

Blood from mammals, birds, or reptiles; each life stage typically feeds on a host.

A slow-moving external parasite that waits on vegetation or crawls through litter to find hosts. The pale spot may be glare, so it is not reliable for species identification.

Bites can cause irritation and transmit diseases, including Lyme disease for some Ixodes species. Ticks are also part of food webs, but pose a significant health risk.