Itty Bitty With Big Impact; Trails To Oceans

No kidding, a tick nymph is the size of a poppy seed. Even when staring straight at one in broad daylight, it is almost incomprehensible that something that small is alive – and a tick. But having recently seen a nymphal tick creep up the backside of my knee, I also know there is no way on earth that one of this size could be detected as it moves upwards and seeks a meal.

After a year of listening to people’s stories around the country, take heed – ticks have devastating impact. Farmers, business owners, walkers and their horses and dogs – all have contracted Lyme disease or another tick-borne disease (TBD). Getting through treatment of antibiotics can be a breeze or an ordeal for animals and humans alike.

A notable event for all who live in (especially) New England or love to visit ocean wonders such as Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket or Rhode Island – it’s high tide for tick nymph season. With National Trails day happening this weekend, June 5 and June 6, there is no better time for picking up ticks.

Tap into some incredible information and research from the University of Rhode Island (URI) Tick Encounter Resource Center, which is hosting the annual Tick Gala on June 4. Dr. Tom Mather is a tick expert at URI and his work was recently featured on the Rhode Island NBC news affliate (see video clip above, courtesy of WJAR Channel 10).

Farmers’s markets are blooming into action around the state – some open for the season this weekend, others throughout June. (The Connecticut Department of Agriculture offers an interactive map to find the location of markets in your hometown.) Try Denison Farm Market on Sunday, June 6 , noon to 3:00 p.m. at Denison Homestead, Mystic. This one will be open every Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. through October. Local farmers’ products will include jams, cheese, free-range eggs, heirloom herbs, local honey, baked goods, and fruits and more, depending on the season. Located on the open fields of the Denison Homestead, visitors can also enjoy a variety of special events and entertainment, nature trails, or tour an early 18th century farmhouse.

On another note for ocean lovers is World Oceans Day, June 8. In conjunction with the day, the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center will host a showing of IMAX film “Galapagos” on Friday, June 4 at 6 p.m. at the Stonington High School Auditorium.

The film’s executive producer, Laurence O’Reilly, who recently retired from the Smithsonian Institution after 23 years at the National Museum of Natural History, will introduce the film and answer questions from the audience.

By the way the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center offers 10 miles of trails, live animals, and a natural history museum and more. Find out details at www.dpnc.org. Donation for the IMAX film is $5; $2 for students. Tickets can be purchased at the door, or call (860) 536-1216.

For Connecticut Trails Day, Saturday, June 5, the folks at James L. Goodwin State Forest and Conservation Education Center, 23 Potter Road, Hampton, have a wealth of offerings, including a plant sale and guided walks.

The Friends of Goodwin Forest can help visitors explore the 2,000- acre preserve, home to three large ponds, 14 miles of trails, demonstration areas, wildlife observation platforms, a wildlife museum, and two acres of native plant wildlife gardens. FGF along with mounted members of the Connecticut Horse Council‘s Volunteer Patrol will be on hand to assist with information about the forest, trails and the day’s events.

Activities include all-day native wildlife plants and traditional landscape plant sale, courtesy of the UConn Master Gardener Program and the Friends of Goodwin Forest; 9:30 to 1 p.m., a 7.5-mile guided hike along ponds and through diverse forests managed for wildlife and forest products; 9:30 to noon, trail maintenance party (pre-register by calling (860) 749-8772 or eric.raffia@UTCPower.com); 10 to noon, a 3.5 mile family-oriented hike to Brown Hill Pond; 10 to 10:30 a.m., native plant identification.

There’s much more. Visit www.ct.gov/dep/Goodwin or www.ctwoodlands.org for details.