Common species in Arkansas
Arkansas follows the shared source pattern. The species below are drawn from the state-authority sources listed in the sidebar Data Row.
- Gulf Coast tick
- Brown dog tick
- Blacklegged tick
- Asian longhorned tick (animal/livestock context)
- Blacklegged tick (where ADH or U of A document local establishment or expansion in northern Arkansas)
When ticks are most active
Lone star tick: April through late August is the practical peak, with all life stages biting humans aggressively from spring through summer. American dog tick: most active spring through mid-summer. Gulf Coast tick: active from late spring through summer where established. Broad prevention caution late winter through fall given Arkansas's mild climate.
Where you're most likely to encounter ticks
Ozark and Ouachita National Forest oak-hickory woodlands, river-bottom hardwood forests, brushy field edges, pastureland and livestock-adjacent areas, hunting camps and deer leases, dog walking, hiking, and yard work along wooded property edges.
Disease context
Each disease named below carries an evidence tag per the Data Row policy. Pills indicate the strength of state-specific evidence, not the severity of the disease. Symptoms should always be routed to a clinician; this is orientation, not diagnosis.
- Rocky Mountain spotted feverstate surveillance confirmed
- Ehrlichiosisstate surveillance confirmed
- Tularemiastate surveillance confirmed
- Lyme diseasenon diagnostic mention only
- Anaplasmosisregional pattern
- Alpha-gal syndromeregional pattern
- STARIregional pattern
- Heartland virus diseaseregional pattern
- Bourbon virus diseaseregional pattern
- Spotted fever rickettsiosis (other than RMSF)regional pattern
If you find a tick — what to do
Map resolution notes
mixed resolution.ADH, University of Arkansas Extension, USDA-ARS, and CDC sources support state-level and regional (Ozark/Ouachita/Delta) statements, but not all species, disease, density, or expansion claims are county-supported. Use county-level claims only where an official county-level source supports that exact field; keep general species/range claims at state or regional level when the source resolution is broader.
State sources
- Primary species source
- Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) tick and tickborne disease pages for state species framing; University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service and USDA-ARS tick research resources for seasonal, habitat, and expansion nuance.
- Primary health source
- ADH tickborne disease pages and clinician reference materials for disease and clinician-routing context; CDC tickborne disease pages for national context, particularly for RMSF, ehrlichiosis, tularemia, and alpha-gal syndrome.
- Primary extension source
- University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service tick fact sheets and yard/landscape guidance for species activity, habitat, prevention, and removal detail; USDA-ARS tick research resources where applicable.
- Surveillance
- ADH tickborne disease surveillance summaries, CDC NNDSS for RMSF/ehrlichiosis/tularemia counts, CDC alpha-gal syndrome surveillance, CDC Where Ticks Live, and University of Arkansas Extension resources where map or surveillance context is used.