This article is a part of 12-piece series for The Times’ 2025 “Year in Review. It was the New York Times that said this summer on Martha’s Vineyard was the summer of the tick, not of the shark (i.e., “Jaws”) as most people predicted. But Islanders know that ticks didn’t just take over between June and August, and they didn’t just take over this year. No, Islanders have lived with and through the fear of ticks for what feels like forever.