Thirty-one years I've been here on the Peninsula and I've never had a personal encounter with a tick. Almost anywhere else in the state of Wisconsin is an altogether different story - mostly involving wood ticks. But here? Nada.
Until last weekend.
This is a deer tick.
A first.
It's a blood-feeding arachnid; and we picked a half-dozen or so off the dogs following our hike on the Ledge last weekend.
This is the first time we've personally been witness to ticks on the peninsula. Heretofore, I always assumed my personal experience was evidence that Door County was low on the margins of tick sightings and tick-borne illness. A little bit of internet sleuthing suggests tick-borne illnesses have been on the uptick (pardon the pun) of late.
The trend for the tick population on the peninsula is increasing, as evidenced by a significant rise in both tick-borne illnesses and related hospitalizations in recent years. Contributing factors likely include an expanding tick population (mild winters), improved reporting and increasing numbers of outdoor enthusiasts recreating in tick habitats.
These buggers are exceedingly small and difficult to spot. You're likely to feel it before you see it.
This is a black-legged tick - Ixodes scapularis. And it is the primary vector for Lyme disease in the eastern and Midwestern United States. There's some additional scary-sounding diseases this arachnid will share with you; including, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, Borrelia miyamotoi disease, Powassan virus disease, and ehrlichiosis associated with Ehrlichia muris eauclarensis. Consequently, we'll likely have to take greater precautions treating outdoor footwear and clothing and be extra vigilant with tick risk exposures. Ugh.
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