Okay, after your gag reflex has settled down, take a good look at this poppy seed muffin and see if you can pick out the 5 ticks who are hiding among the poppy seeds.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shared the image on their Twitter feed recently. In addition to scaring the nation away from ever eating a poppy seed again, the CDC was making an important point about just how small a tick can be.

If you need a little help in finding them, this zoomed-in image shows the ticks - you can see their legs, which, of course, would distinguish them from poppy seeds.

Ticks in Michigan

There are 5 main ticks that hang out in Michigan

  • The American Dog Tick is widespread in the state and rarely carries disease
  • Blacklegged ticks are considered an "emerging" species. They are most prevalent in Southwest Michigan (including Kalamazoo County) the entire Lake Michigan shoreline and the Western Upper Peninsula. This tick does carry lyme disease.
  • The Lone Star ticket is found only occasionally in Michigan, but they are aggressive biters of humans and carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
  • Woodchuck ticks are common but are found mainly on pets. They rarely bite humans.
  • Finally, the larger brown dog tick is found occasionally and associated with kennels and animal shelters.

BONUS VIDEOS - A Tick-Free Look at Michigan Nature

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