Iowa is entering a more complex era of ticks, marked by earlier bite reports, shifting disease patterns, and a new invasive threat to cattle.

Why it matters: Tick bites can make people seriously ill.

Driving the news: The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently warned that ER visits for tick bites were higher than normal in April, but it did not release state-specific data.

• Preliminary CDC data show that tick bites in the Midwest region nearly doubled year over year, rising from 70 per 100,000 ER visits in April 2025 to 137.

Context: Iowa ended last year with fewer Lyme disease reports but higher reports of other tick-borne illnesses, including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis and babesiosis, compared with the prior year.

• HHS also warned that more Iowans were getting diagnosed with alpha gal, which causes an allergy to red meat.

State of play: Iowa confirmed the presence of the Asian longhorned tick and the cattle disease it can carry, Theileria orientalis Ikeda, for the first time last year in a Van Buren County herd, where 20 heifers died.

• The tick, first identified in the U.S. in 2017, has now been confirmed in at least 26 states and has an explosive reproductive capacity that allows it to establish itself quickly.
• There are no approved treatments for Theileria in the U.S., so prevention relies on control and biosecurity.

Threat level: Theileria is not considered a human health threat, but is dangerous to the state's herd, already at decades-low levels.

The big picture: In April, all CDC regions except the south/central U.S. had their highest tick-bite ER visit rates for this time of year since 2017

• Warmer seasons, shorter winters, humidity, habitat shifts and host animals can all influence tick activity and exposure.

Reality check: Most tick bites don't require emergency care, Addie Olson, a spokesperson for the Polk County Health Department, tells Axios.

Zoom in: Avoid ticks by using insect repellent, wearing treated clothing and steering clear of tall grass, brush and wooded edges.

• The CDC's tick-bite tool walks people through how to remove ticks, what symptoms to watch for, and when to seek medical help.

What we're watching: Whether early ER visits continue to escalate, and this year's number of diseases transmitted to humans by ticks.

For 14-year-old Caleb DeVan, his favorite word he's learned while studying for spelling bees is "sardoodledom," which refers to stories or plots with mechanically contrived cliches.

Why it matters: Today, the Ankeny teen's ability to spell sardoodledom and many others will help him compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, along with Malayna Eichwald, an 11-year-old from Davenport.

• 247 kids are competing in the preliminaries, followed by quarterfinals and semifinals Wednesday, and then Thursday's finals.
• The champion will take home a trophy, a medal, and $52,500 in cash.

How it started: DeVan, a student at Ankeny Southview Middle School, was always a big reader growing up, but he discovered his knack for spelling when he entered his school's spelling bee last December.

• He tied with another student, prompting a "spell off." DeVan won with "cajolery."
• He advanced to a statewide competition at Living History Farms in March. To study for it, he spent all his free time studying Scripps' 2,000-word list and its etymologies. He won with "jackal."

State of play: Since then, DeVan has studied Scripps' 4,000-word "Words of the Champions" book and spent so much time practicing that he can't even measure the hours.

• And beyond the spelling bee, he's also been involved with mock trial, basketball, jazz band, choir concerts and quiz bowl.

What they're saying: The thing he's most excited for this week?

• "The free hotel."

How to watch: Preliminary and quarterfinal rounds air on Scripps Sports Network.

• Semifinals and finals will air on Ion May 27–28.

A $1 million-plus temporary entrance to the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden will be built in the coming months.

Why it matters: It will allow the garden to remain open during the construction of the larger components of a more than $9 million capital campaign for improvements.

The intrigue: The temporary entrance includes a 1,920-square-foot addition, which will be converted into permanent administrative offices once the larger lobby project is complete.

• The dual-purpose approach maximizes investment to meet both immediate and long-term facility needs, CEO Kim Perez tells Axios.

Zoom in: It'll be constructed east of the current entrance and by the Rose Garden.

Bonus: A colorful archway over Robert D. Ray Drive is still in the works, with Perez telling us to stay tuned for updates.

👙 Gray's Lake Park's new playground and sprayground will open after a dedication ceremony today at noon. (Press release)

🧑‍⚖️ Federal prosecutors are recommending former DMPS Superintendent Ian Roberts serve three years in prison after he plead guilty to falsely claiming U.S. citizenship and illegally possessing firearms. (KCCI)

💵 Dwolla, a Des Moines-based payment service, has been acquired by Illinois-based NMI. (Business Record)

A 17-year-old was critically injured following a shooting in downtown Des Moines over the weekend near the Pappajohn Sculpture Park. (WHO-13)

Olivia and Liam are the country's top baby names for the seventh year in a row, according to a new report showing Social Security card applications submitted at birth.

Zoom in: Here are Iowa's top names last year.

For the boys:

1. Oliver
2. Liam
3. Henry
4. Theodore
5. Cooper

For the girls:

1. Charlotte
2. Evelyn
3. Emma
4. Amelia
5. Eleanor

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