Blacklegged Tick (Ixodes scapularis) (IMAGE) Entomological Society of America Caption While many homeowners heed the advice to clear their lawns of fallen leaves in autumn to avoid creating tick-friendly habitat in high-use areas, a new study on tick abundance in leaf litter says raking or blowing leaves just out to the forest edge is not enough. In fact, dumping leaves where grass meets woods may inadvertently create an ideal habitat for blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis, adult female shown here). Credit Flickr user Lennart Tange, CC BY 2.0 Usage Restrictions maintain attribution; CC BY 2.0 License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.