Dermacentor Variabilis

Every time we return from a walk in the wild, we have to carefully examine and brush our clothing in an attempt to discover and rid ourselves of any ticks (aka wood tick or dog tick) that may have hitched a ride.  Charlie is particularly vulnerable; Kim seems to be constantly scrutinizing him.  Despite our caution, some are not revealed for a day or more.   Like two days after a walk in the brush, I felt an eerie sensation above an ear as I was typing away at the computer keyboard.   Reaching up and flicking brought this guy (my research indicates it was a male) to my desktop.  Whereupon we used our preferred method of capture — enveloping these beasts in a half-inch chunk of Scotch tape.   I quickly tried for a handheld capture in lousy light (below) but by the time I had left the scene to secure my tripod to permit better (an uptick?) quality, Kim had disposed of the creature.

Tick in .5 Inch Tape
Tick in .5 Inch Tape (detail)

 

Coronavirus Diary: May 23, 2020

The country’s death toll appears to be on track to hit (and exceed) 100,000.  Community Bank downtown runs its flag at half-mast.

After days of rain and flooding threat, the sun pops out today.  So we revisit Peopeomoxmox across the street from my building’s parking lot to see if anything has changed.  It has: more flowers are in bloom.

On the way back home, our neighbor rolls his old classic Merc out into the street and cheerily greets us (not pictured; he is maskless).