Flint Hills, Tall Grass

In the Flint Hills, limestone outcrops show up even in woody regions.

Actually, there are lots of things that bug me in the Flint Hills, maybe billions of them. That’s nothing to complain about, however, because that’s what insects are supposed to do, but I still don’t like it. I’m not sure, however, if I’m willing to go so far as try a Hartz, but we’ll get to that later.

I was thinking about bugs the other day because the grass in my back yard was almost as tall as big bluestem by the time I got around to mowing it – hey, I’m on vacation, so whadya expect? After I fought and pushed my mower through my own personal tallgrass prairie and was considering finding a hay baler to get the cut grass out, I started itching. Ouch. Chiggers, in my own yard. Soon after, I ran across a great post about the little buggers on Catherine Sherman’s blog.

Catherine is a great writer and has a fun blog. She’s written about the Symphony in the Flint Hills – one of my favorite events – and also has the honor of being the first person to leave a comment at Flint Hills, Tall Grass. So I was interested to read her suggestions about keeping chiggers away. They were helpful, but I’m not sure that I will try one of her more extreme suggestions, especially when I mow the lawn, but I will keep it in mind.

Ultimately, chiggers aren’t what bug me the most. Technically, they aren’t even bugs, but the larval stage of a mite. I’m never too worried about chigger bites; I just itch until they go away. What really chaps my hide, literally, are ticks.

I’ve heard lots of suggestions on how to avoid ticks. Usually, generous applications of DEET works for me. A good hike in the gallery forests along streams and creeks of the Flint Hills is a great way to see a different side of the ecosystem, but sometimes I come out with an unwanted hitchhiker. My last tick bite was from a critter so small, I didn’t even see him until he had been attached a couple of days.

Which brings me back to Hartz. Someone once suggested that I should actually get a couple of Hartz 2-in-1 Flea and Tick collars and wear one around each ankle. That would work, I guess, with the added benefit of eliminating fleas. I’m not sure I could stand the smell, so I think I’ll stick to DEET.