No Wonder my Head Hurts

[kevin_standlee]

I still don't feel well, but as it's all sinus headaches, stuffy head, and sometimes a sore throat and chest congestion from nasal drainage, without any fever, and as I continue to test negative for COVID-19, I have to figure it's hay fever. And when I walked around the block this morning, I could see a likely source of the problem.



This is one of the many cottonwood trees in Fernley. They appear to grow pretty well in our poor soil and I guess they must have deep roots to find what little water there is. But have a look at the fuzzy white areas and you'll see why they are not good for hay fever sufferers.



Uncounted numbers of cottonwood seeds are piled up here just waiting for the next breeze to set them flying around.



When the wind blows, the air is filled with these things, which make it look like snow that doesn't melt.

As usual, all I can do is tough this out and hope it clears sooner rather than later. I don't want to be coughing like this all the way until Westercon.

Comments

[katster]

And with those seeds, you can see why they got called 'cottonwoods'. They're really pretty, but must be nasty if you're allergic to them.

Female tree

[lsanderson]

Not to be a know-it-all, he said after googling, but most people have allergies to male cottonwood pollen, which is pretty much gone by the time the seeds are being released by the female trees. I ain't a doctor, but I suspect the culprit is something pollinating after the cottonwood have their sex. Good luck

Re: Female tree

[kevin_standlee]

That might explain why I'm not nearly as stuffy-headed as I was two weeks ago.

In Today's Guardian

[lsanderson]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/13/north-america-pollen-climate-crisis

‘Mist was everywhere’: extreme weather driving North America’s pollen overload
Trees and grass are emitting more pollen than usual, scientists say – and it’s likely to stay that way in the coming years