More than a few national parks are well-known for their ravenous mosquitoes. I can personally attest that you don't want to be on Shoshone Lake in Yellowstone National Park in July unless you actually enjoy feeding these little bloodsuckers.
But then, there are countless national parks that can make similar claims -- just about any Alaskan park, Voyageurs National Park, Everglades National Park, and on and on.
But in which park can you spot this skeeter meter?
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Is it Congaree National Park?
Well, I must say I'm a bit disappointed. I thought this skeeter meter would have kept folks guessing for hours, but Eric fired off the correct answer early this morning and we held off posting it to give others a chance at figuring it out. And John did just that as well. And apparently Kirby did, too.
Tomorrow we'll explain a bit more about the skeeters in Congaree. And we'll see if we can't come up with a tougher photo next time.
I cheated, Kurt. I was certain I'd seen this thing, so I google image searched "mosquito meter" right after I posted my Acadia guess. I also discovered in that search that this is apparently Version 2 of the Skeeter Meter. There's this one: http://www.terragalleria.com/images/np-hardwoods/cosw4105.small.jpeg on a page of Congaree photos too.
I think that version of the mosquito meter has been up since they built the Harry Hampton Visitor Center. I seem to recall the older one up on the old rustic ranger station visitor center Congaree had a decade ago before the entrance road was paved and park status was bestowed upon Conagree Swamp.
I saw a simialr one in SC at a ranger station in, I think, a national forest. The highest level on the one was "don't inhale."
I was just there, too slow for this post! Arrgh!
In addition to an official list of state things, some states also have an unofficial list. In my home state of NJ the unofficial state bird is the mosquito. I also lived in the PA Poconos for a while. There were at least two different types of GIGANTIC mutant looking mosquitos there. Once, when I tried to kill one, the dog I had then ate it after I knocked it down. She made a "that's yucky" face, though. The mosquitos here in the Fingerlakes region are bad, too. I live at the bottom of a mountain, so the ground behind my trailer is a boggy breeding ground for them due to the rain and snow runoff. Fortunately the dragon flies, and mud and paper wasps seem to help keep them under control somewhat. Now if there was only some way to wipe out the fleas infesting my whole neighborhood. Any time one of my brothers comes over for a visit with his dog I have to put salt or baking soda down inside afterwards to kill them.--Savona, NY