The month of May is the height of tick season in northern Michigan. Ticks are especially common along the coastal areas of Lake Michigan.
Phillip Huber has been a forest biologist for the Huron-Manistee National Forest for more than 30 years. He says ticks only started appearing in the area about 10 years ago.
“They’re becoming more common, particularly in the really grassy areas," says Huber. "I think that’s where people need to watch out for them, in grassy fields, road sides … that sort of thing.”
The most common type of Michigan tick is the harmless dog tick. Deer ticks are smaller – about the size of a pinhead – and can carry Lyme disease.