Pollen in the air,
in my head, nose, tongue, throat, lungs.
High price of spring time.
This is the roof the building across the parking lot from WXIA TV.
See the green/yellow pine pollen drying in the rain puddles. It covers the roads, the cars and my glasses.
A single tree can release 40 oz. of pollen.
University of Georgia says “Pine pollen comes from the male cones at the end of lower branches. Relative humidity, wind, moisture and health of the male cone all make a difference. Dry, warm, sunny days open the cone and spread the pollen. Warm weather out of Florida passes over any one spot in Georgia for about two and a half weeks.”
The US Forestry Service says: “The date of peak pollen shed depends on the accumulation of 636 degree-day units above 55° F after February 1.” I cannot express how much this data helps me.
On warm, dry, windy days you can see yellow clouds of pine pollen billowing across the landscape. Two side wings hold these big pollen grains aloft. These wings also make pine pollen big enough to see.
As the wind blows, it sweeps pollen up into the air and carries it long distances. Pine pollen has its unique shape to perfectly match the aerodynamic shape of the female pine cone. The airborne pollen grains are swirled around the cone and tumble into the receptive base of each bract.
Because pine pollen is so big, we can see it is light yellow. Many windblown tree pollens are invisible.
The male pine cones, which dangle at the ends of lower branches, have many pollen sacks which produce and hold pollen. As the male cones mature, they nurture the pollen grains. Then on sunny, windy days with relatively low humidity, the pollen sacks split open.
The first place most people notice pine pollen is on their car. Smooth metal surfaces will sport a gritty, yellow dust. It accumulates in miniature drifts on pavements, patios and porches, too.
This yellow dust can be breathed into your nose and mouth. Few people, though, are actually allergic to the pine pollen. But many find it irritating in their eyes and aggravating on their cars and patios.
Taken from Don’t Blame Pine Trees for Springtime Sneezes By Kim D. Coder for CAES News (http://newswire.caes.uga.edu/story.html?storyid=6) AND Pine Pollen – Predicting BY Walter Reeves / The Simple Gardener (http://www.walterreeves.com/gardening-q-and-a/pine-pollen-predicting/)
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