Creepy

I am rather fond of spiders, snakes, and millipedes... I have even made my peace with scorpions and centipedes... but not ticks, though I must admit that they are impressive little buggers. I have observed the following behavior many times, most recently along a local trail where a number of them seemed to be on tip-toes at the very end of a tassel of grass arching out over the trail:

Many ticks lie in wait for their hosts in the questing position, holding onto vegetation with their hind pairs of legs and stretching out the front pairs, ready to latch on to a passing person or animal. Depending on the species, a tick can detect carbon dioxide in the host’s breath; odor; heat; moisture; vibrations; or even a shadow.

I managed to squeeze around them this time... I think...