Black-legged Tick (Deer Tick)

Wooded areas, tall grasses, and leaf litter where host animals are frequent

Obligate blood-feeders on mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles

Four-stage life cycle (egg, larva, nymph, adult); they practice questing by clinging to vegetation with hind legs and stretching front legs to grab passing hosts

Major vector for Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis; they serve as a food source for some reptiles and birds but are primarily considered a public health risk