Tick Season
Tick season has arrived! Whether it is a warm and sunny day or a cool, cloudy one you can now expect to find some ticks outdoors, especially in edge habitats. In Western New York this is rarely a problem, and only a handful of sites have any ticks to be found. However, in places like Connecticut the population is robust, booming, and filled with diseases. Any time that you or your dog goes outdoors this spring, and throughout the year really, you should be mindful of ticks. The best way to protect yourself is to stay covered, change your clothes, check yourself from head to toe, and shower...
Read MoreDeKay’s Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi)
With last week’s warm temperatures and sunny days, many critters took advantage of the ideal autumn conditions and were out hunting or in search of their soon to be used winter hideaways. This seemed to be the case for a little DeKay’s Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi) that was found slithering across a forest road in the Finger Lakes National Forest by my husband and me. The little snake was soaking up the sun and was moving towards the leaf litter of the nearby forest floor, a place they often seek prey and hide in. As the snake was making its journey we took a few snapshots…...
Read MoreTick and disease warning sign
This was a very informative sign that certainly looks rather new that I saw recently here in Western New York. Please have a wonderful weekend outdoors and enjoy the gorgeous weather but always keep your family’s safety in mind – including those furry children, too. Without proper habitat management practices and the continuation of the degradation of our ecosystems signs like these will need to be all the more common as we create more edges, lose predators and spread invasive plants, permitting or even favoring environmental conditions that harbor ticks and foster their...
Read MoreLyme Disease bullseye rash
Recognize this? If you ever have a “bug bite” that feels warm to the touch and seems for all the world to be like a mosquito bit you…except that it doesn’t itch or feel painful…you should watch it very carefully and be ready to head to the doctor. This is the beginning of the classic Lyme Disease bullseye rash from the bite of a Deer/Eastern Black-legged Tick. The rash will continue to expand and in my case it ended up spanning my entire thigh. You’re lucky if you have a rash as many people do not get one. Twan and I have both had Lyme Disease when living...
Read More
