Chiggers are the larvae of mites. Like ticks and spiders, mites go through three biological stages in their life cycle: They begin as eggs, hatch as larvae, develop into nymphs and finally become adults. Nymph and adult harvest mites feed mostly on plant life and don't bother people or other mammals, but in the larval stage, many of the species are parasitic. After a parasitic chigger hatches, it finds a good position on tall grass or other vegetation so it can spring onto a passing animal. When it finds an animal, it attaches to the animal to gather the protein it needs to grow into the nymph stage.
Chiggers do not burrow under your skin, as many people believe, nor do they feed on animal blood. They actually feed on the fluids in skin cells. To get the fluids, they attach themselves to a skin pore or hair follicle and inject a digestive enzyme that ruptures the cells. The enzyme also hardens the surrounding skin tissue, forming a sort of straw for sucking the skin cell fluids. The whole process irritates the skin, causing an itchy red bump that continues to cause discomfort for several days. Chiggers are only about 1/50th of an inch (0.5 mm) in diameter and so are too small to be seen with the naked eye. This invisibility is the reason so many people believe chiggers burrow under the skin.
Today, I was privileged to paint along side of fellow artists from Triad Outdoor Painters and others at the beautiful Sunshine Lavender Farm near Hillsborough, NC. This was my first visit, but hopefully won’t be my last. I met many wonderful people there and was thrilled at the event’s family friendly atmosphere.
The weather was absolutely beautiful and you couldn't have asked for a better day to be out plein air painting. Luckily, I found myself a nice shady spot for my first painting of the day, which was this pretty little scene looking down the walkway beside the farm house. Not only was I in the shade on a bright sunny day, but I was right in front of the food tent…SCORE! They served up all kinds of healthy goodies and offered up some lavender tea and pineapple tea to wash it all down. I could’ve drank a gallon…it was delicious.
This was my second plein air painting of the day. These bicycles were just begging to be painted with their jewel toned colors, wheels turned in the same direction, and baskets full of harvested lavender. Oddly enough, this was actually my first plein air painting of bicycles. Maybe I’ll have to try some more in the future.
