Today is my birthday (woo hoo! I survived another year!). In honor of this feat I will take a break from my Very High Life posts to bring you the touching birthday story of . . . several hundred baby ticks. It all began with a very full mama tick . . .
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Not a full tick nor even yet a mama tick. Tick for illustrative purposes only. Do not lick tick. This is Ixodes scapularis -- the deer tick.
. . . which was plucked off a dog and, rather than being flushed, was stashed in a glass vial in a very simple science experiment we could all conduct at home. I cannot decide whether what happened next was more cool or more gross . . . you decide. With pictures!
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Happy Birthday, Jennifer!
:) Thanks for the pingback! I hope I don’t ruin your birthday by telling you– the baby ticks are now no more. It was definitely an interesting experiment. You can read more about our tick encounters on my boyfriend’s blog at http://ideonexus.com/2009/07/09/fun-with-tick-clockwork/
You are welcome, Vicky! Thanks for the great post! No worries on the ticks . . . I had a feeling they’d gone to tick heaven, where the meadows are filled with dogs and deer and no one ever plucks you off and flushes you down a toilet. : )