Wildlife wednesay — beauty and the beast
What does the Spring Beauty and the Rocky Mountain Wood Tick have in common? Both are starting to emerge here in the Estes Valley right now. Spring Beauties start to emerge almost as soon as the snow retreats. They are often found in moist areas of forest edges where they find a little sun. They start out with a slender basal leaf, then a pair of smaller leaves along the stem, and then topped off by a bud or flower. With a little sun and warmth the flower opens, so they may be hard to find on chilly mornings. Their short stature and waxy leaves makes them well adapted to survive our harsh spring conditions. Deer and elk eat their leaves and flowers while bears and other animals feed on their roots, however.
And what makes a tick tick? These little buggers actually have quite a fascinating life cycle. Rocky Mountain Wood Ticks start off life as a 6 legged larvae and are soon looking for a host animal. At this stage of their life, the host is usually a small mammal such as a mouse, vole, or chipmunk. After feeding for a few days it drops off and molt into its next life stage- an 8 legged nymph. Once again it will search for a host by climbing onto some low vegetation and patiently waiting for someone to pass by (ticks can survive well over a year between meals). If the nymph is lucky enough to find a host (once again a small mammal) it will again feed for a few days, drop off, and now molt into its adult form. Under warm and damp conditions, adults will climb to knee high vegetation and “quest” for their next host, this time larger animal like a deer, elk, dog, or human. Males will feed for only a couple of days before searching for a mate. Females will feed for several days and then emit pheromones that advertise to males that they are ready to breed. Once mated, both will drop from their host, the female will lay thousands of eggs on vegetation, and both die. This whole life cycle can last from one to three years. Amazing!
So, on our next warm day, see if you can find any Spring Beauties, but make sure to do a tick check before you get home.
Spring Beauties can vary in color from white to pink.
Just an inch or two tall with waxy leaves, this wildflower is well suited to cold and snowy spring conditions.
Female Rocky Mountain Wood Tick. Note the pale plate on her back.
Male Rocky Mountain Wood Tick. Both sexes can transmit disease to their host once attached (bitten) through bacteria in their saliva.
Often when you see one Spring Beauty you will find many- sometimes even in bunches.
Male Rocky Mountain Wood Tick.
Spring Beauty- one of our earliest wildflowers.