American Dog Tick

The American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis, also called the wood tick, is a species of hard tick found mainly in the eastern part of North America, with some populations reported in California, inhabiting wooded, shrubby and long-grass areas. Like other ticks it passes through egg, larval, nymphal and adult stages, with peak seasonal activity varying by latitude, from May and June in the north to as early as March through August farther south. It is a known carrier of the bacteria that cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia in humans, and may also transmit anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis, though it does not effectively spread Lyme disease.