We love being out in nature but during the spring and summer months we are pretty cautious about where we step. You see, we aren’t too excited about ticks. After our hike we always look through each other hair and check under armpits. Bystanders tend to laugh at the sight of us checking each other but we take ticks very serious. They won’t keep us locked up in our home but we want to make sure that we don’t have any on us.
Our first encounter with a tick occurred when Eve was around five years old and we decided to have a picnic in a field of tall grass next to our home. We spent the spring day outdoors. My in-laws came over for the night so I was busy cooking once they arrived. Eve was with my mother-in-law most of the evening. When I put my children to sleep that night and I kissed Eve good night, I noticed something black on her ear. At first I thought it was a piece of seaweed snack on her ear because she loved eating it. But as I looked closer I saw little feet and started to scream. I tend to panic when I don’t know what to do.
So I called my sister who is a nurse and she told me to pull it out with tweezers. I got my tweezers as close to Eves skin and pulled the tick out in one piece. It was still alive. We placed the tick in the freezer.
That night Eve and I didn’t sleep. Her ear was so red and she cried from all the pain. In the morning I drove her to the doctors and brought the tick with us. The doctor said it wasn’t a deer tick and that Eve would be okay.
My mother-in-law told me afterwards that she noticed Eve was pulling on that ear but she didn’t think much of it.
We had a horrible first experience with a tick and it was surely not our last.
A few months later when we went camping Eve had a tick in her hand. This time I was calm about it and pulled it out in one piece. We actually packed all of our camping gear and drove home because we were afraid she wouldn’t sleep again all night and that her arm would be red but none of that happened.
Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve (Lougher Loop Trail Hike)
Not sure what others do on Sunday after church but we sure like to spend time with God surrounded by nature. This is a 2.9 mile long loop trail. There are many trails to choose from and we have been on many of them but this one is by far our favorite. It is a workout walking up the steep hills and sure windy during the spring time. There was no one on this hiking tail.
Big Break Regional Shoreline (King Tides and Wetland Sponges)
A king tide is the highest tide of a given year and we imagined coming to Big Break Regional Shoreline and seeing the tide rise up before our eyes but this wasn’t the case. It was pretty disappointing since the water barely went over shore and the only thing drowning was the map of waterways being flooded by infants. Learning about the king tide was interesting and it was a great educational experience. By observing and recording the king tides scientist can better understand future sea level. The king tide happens three to four times a year.
Hike in Tilden Nature Area
This is a lovely park with really convoluted roads so bring someone who is good with maps and direction. Now the scenery has plenty of green due to the plants and we did go through a area where people feed animals on the way in and out. During our hike we looked enthusiastically for ticks. The little existences who look for hosts to feed on until they have had their fill and we found them many of them. They were mostly on grass which was near the trail and on one piece of grass we saw three ticks. None of us actually let the opportunists get on us until later when we where guided and taken off trails so as long as you stay on the trail and don’t come in to contact with grass you should be fine.
Ticks and Friends at Tilden Nature Area
Hands on Learning
We made our own playdough and created the anatomy of ticks,
Ticks are small arachnids. If they don’t have blood to eat then they can not complete their life cycle.
Contrary to what some may say, ticks do not jump, fly, or drop. What they do instead is reach out with their legs and grab and crawl on their host. So if you don’t brush against one, you won’t have a tick on you. If you walk through grassy areas or woods the you have a higher chance of getting bit by a tick. They are mostly active during April through September.
If you know that you’ll be hiking the best thing to wear is long sleeve shirts and pants. The lighter your clothes are they better because you’ll be able to spot them easier.
Thank you for reading our blog post. I’m Irina, working from home, while sharing our adventures at homegrownadventures.net.