Adult ticks have eight legs and the body is fused into a single region. Females have a single silvery-white spot on its back while males have scattered spots or streaks around the margins of the body. Tick species like the lone star tick are referred to as three-host ticks because they utilize different hosts for each feeding stage. Females occur in late spring and early summer. After feeding, they drop from the host and lay clusters of thousands of eggs in ground litter.
Males die soon after mating with one or more females and females die soon after laying eggs.
There may be overlapping generations, with peak adult and nymphal activity occurring from March through May and again from July through August. Larvae occur in mid-June or July. It often takes up to 3 years for a tick like the lone star tick to complete its life cycle. Mouthparts are for piercing and sucking. Lone star ticks live in wooded areas with underbrush, along creeks and rivers near animal resting places.