## 1 Introduction
Temperatures higher than 30 \({}^{\circ}\)C tend to increase the mortality rate of blacklegged ticks and to reduce their host-seeking activities [6; 17; 29; 30]. In addition, blacklegged ticks depend on a moist atmosphere to slow the water loss from transpiration [16; 20; 31]. A low relative humidity (RH) exerts overwhelming stress on blacklegged ticks [32]. When such stress is present during a question period, a blacklegged tick responds by descending from the grass or shrub to moister surroundings near the ground for water absorption, which consequently reduces the total duration of host seeking [20]. In addition to suitable temperature and humidity, vegetated habitats are particularly important for the survival and question activity of blacklegged ticks [33]. Vegetation conditions the microclimate, mitigates the effects of environmental extremes, and provides forage for tick hosts [34; 35]. Woodlands and forests are especially effective in maintaining humidity and reducing microclimatic stresses [23; 36]. In addition, the numbers of blacklegged ticks may fluctuate because of the varying abundance and diversity of their hosts across a vegetated landscape [34]. For instance, more adult blacklegged ticks are expected along forest edges or in the areas with smaller forest patch sizes since white-tailed deer, their primary hosts, are more prevalent in these areas [37; 38; 39; 40]. Furthermore, as ticks feed on hosts of varying body sizes in different life stages, spatially heterogeneous landscapes are more likely to sustain these hosts and, therefore, benefit ticks across life stages and support the transmitting cycles of tick-borne pathogens [41]. The macro-scale tick ecology studies commonly applied regression models with yearly or monthly climatic data and achieved high fitness in projecting tick abundance [26; 42]. Although these studies have found robust correlations between environmental variables and tick abundance at macro scales, it is unclear if they still hold at local scales with substantial spatiotemporal variations. Additionally, it is useful to differentiate tick abundance from tick queuing activities [43]. Tick abundance is the demographic aspect of tick population and is mainly determined by the macro-scale environment in a longer term, while the question activity is the behavioral aspect and is also regulated by the local, short-term environmental factors that may not influence tick abundance [43; 44]. For example, ticks' question activities, given the same abundance, are much lower in hot and dry days than in warm and humid days because they would descend near the ground, under the debris for shade and moisture; therefore, they are less likely to quest for hosts. In this study, we focus on the quantity of actively question blacklegged ticks, which integrates both tick abundance and questioning behaviors. From the perspective of public health, the quantity and density of question blacklegged ticks, instead of the tick abundance, indicate the Lyme disease risk. The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between environmental factors and the quantity of question blacklegged ticks at the micro-scale in four state parks around New York City. During our field surveys, it was quite common to observe significant variations in the numbers of question ticks with similar macro-scale humidity and temperature. For example, the numbers of question ticks varied from zero to over seventy while there was little change in the measured temperature and humidity in two sampling sites. Therefore, we hypothesize that the spatial patterns of question tick quantities are driven by specific local environmental factors at micro-scales. Through analyzing the relationship between the numbers of question blacklegged ticks and local environmental conditions, our analysis and modeling results could help environmental management agencies to effectively develop eco-friendly vector controlling methods and to reduce potential human-tick encounters in the suburban areas of New York City.