As temperatures rise near 80 degrees Fahrenheit in Alabama for the first time in 2018, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is reminding outdoor enthusiasts to be on the lookout for snakes, ticks, mosquitoes, poison ivy and other plants and animals that could wreck your weekend, or lead to more serious health problems.
Chris Lewis, assistant chief of enforcement at ADCNR, said snake sightings are up during the first warm snaps of spring, as would be expected.
"This time of year, the snakes are coming out, laying on trails, trying to lay in the sun and warm up," said Lewis, who has worked for the department for 20 years since earning a degree in wildlife science from Auburn University. "It's warm for us, but it's still cold for snakes, so they're going to sit out there in the sun.
"That's why people see them more this time of year, because they are trying to warm up, so they're out in the open."
Lewis said people heading outdoors should be aware of their surroundings, watch their step and practice other common-sense safety techniques like wearing close-toed shoes.
"It's easy to walk along and step on one if you're not paying attention," he said.
The spring is also bringing out mosquitoes, ticks and other potentially disease-carrying critters.
"I don't know if [mosquitoes] have ever really gone away," Lewis said. "We had a wet winter, so that's going to cause more problems with ticks and mosquitoes than if we had a dry winter."
Also, for anyone out there hoping that the harsh winter cold snaps will mean fewer insects in 2018, the Alabama Cooperative Extension System says that's unlikely.
Mosquitoes, ticks, fire ants and other annoying crawlers survive winters in places much colder than Alabama, and research says it has to stay colder, longer to have a significant impact on their populations.
Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses have increased in Alabama in recent years, despite a common misconception that Lyme disease is not found in the state.
"I personally know more people getting diagnosed with Lyme disease and other illnesses off a tick bite," Lewis said. "It seems like years ago people got a tick bite, it was no big deal. Now they get them and they're turning different colors and ending up in the hospital."
The warm weather will also likely have fishermen hitting their favorite freshwater spots around the state.
"We're already seeing that in some of our public fishing lakes, the crappie starting to spawn a little bit, people getting out there and starting to fish for them," Lewis said.
Lewis said the increase in outdoor activity is typical for Alabama this time of year.
"It's February in Alabama, so we're kind of used to it," Lewis said. "The early spring, the warm weather, it gets people out fishing, deer season is closing up, but we've got small game season going on. March 15, we'll kick off our spring turkey season [in most of the state], that'll be an influx of people hitting the woods early in the mornings chasing turkeys.
"Springtime, dogwoods start to bloom, everything else starts to bloom and it's just a natural time to get out there."