My first tick sighting of the season came courtesy Rich Prohaska’s instagram account, March 25.

I *may* have said a rude word. Or two. I try to be Buddhist-ish, (do no harm), but that compassion doesn’t really extend to ticks, leeches or mosquitoes.

This time last year, Leslie Anthony, one of my nature gurus, shared this:

“It’s spring and the deer #ticks are out in #Pemberton, one of the most heavily infested areas on the South Coast due to high deer (primary host) and rodent (secondary host) populations. This is a sub-adult tick, about the size of a freckle; it bites but so do smaller nymphs and larger adults; all can carry a range of diseases of which Lyme is becoming most common. Ticks are found along animal trails and since mountain bike trails = de facto animal trails, best to take proper precautions and check yourself over after every ride. The good news: after May, the tick hazard drops significantly.”

So check your bits, your kids and your dogs, after playing in the woods this spring. And remember, pull slowly but firmly, then flush it (don’t crush it.)