Habitat

Originally limited to small foci in New England, Wisconsin and southern Ontario, the deer tick has expanded its range throughout southern and coastal New England, southward into the mid-Atlantic states, and westward into Minnesota and scattered localities elsewhere.

On Fire Island (New York), along the Atlantic coast, adults were more abundant in high shrub vegetation than in grassy low-shrub or woodland communities but this relationship was seasonally dependent (i.e., spring).

No significant difference in adult distribution was found among these vegetative types during the fall season.

Adult ticks tended to aggregate along trails.

In suburban communities, deer ticks often occur in woodlots immediately adjacent to homes.