A closer look at wild hyacinth reveals tiny surprises

On April 27, two days after 0.2 in of rain fell on the LATO trail, I took a walk enjoying the many wildflowers on display. The lupine are putting on a spectacular show.  Look closely at this photo of a wild hyacinth and you can see a what seems to be a tick.  These are not ticks! They are plant mites, crawling rather quickly around some of the nearby flowers. Ticks and mites have a similar appearance because they are related. More information about mite taxonomy. Each science discovery leads to more questions!                                                             
--- Shared by LATO docent Mike Klatt, April 2014