Kids and dogs seem to just LOVE jumping into freshly raked leaves in the Fall. It’s an adventure full of joy, and you can make it a bit more carefree by piling freshly fallen leaves for jumping into out in the middle of yards. The type of tick most (>80%) people and pets encounter in Fall are adult stage blacklegged ticks. Those ticks are NOT up in trees but ARE hanging from low shrubs and tall grasses on the perimeter of yards and woodland trails. When raking leaf piles for jumping into, don’t use leaves from the yard edges. Instead, leave about a 5 foot leafy border, to be cleaned up and removed with a bit more care. And ALWAYS do a quick tick check once the jumping is over, especially checking the head, hairline, and behind the ears.