March 20 2018
Pacific Northwest
I used to love the awakening of the Red Alders in spring, their rosy dangling catkins decorating branches that have been bare all winter long. These days....not so much. Tree allergy….alder pollen….nuff said. :/
There was a time I felt fortunate and maybe a bit superior because I had no allergies. Until a few years ago. Why was I feeling woozy, having no energy, and stuffed up, with a painful throat? Was it a cold that just went on and on? I finally figured it out when I traveled elsewhere and all the symptoms went away. Seasonal allergies can develop over time — the histamine overreaction of our own body to allergens. Now I’m humbled and empathetic, especially for folks who get hit all through the year, one allergen season after the next. And I watch the weather, which can exacerbate or calm the pollen dispersal out there. Sunny calm weather = bad. Rainy windy weather = good. Allergy-wise.
Undeniably though, alders are beautiful, close-up and from a distance.
Alder reproductive structures are separate male and female parts. The male catkins are the big ones on the left in the photo below, with exposed red stamens producing gazillions of pollen grains that can freely blow from one tree to another. The female “cones” are the smaller ones on the right. They mature later than the male structures so as to avoid self fertilization.
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Looking upward in my backyard I can see uncountable numbers of catkins showering pollen down on me.
I take antihistamines, which help some. There’s an email notification service (Pollen.com) that provides forecasts of how bad the pollen will be for your zip code, based on time of year and weather, that at least provides a heads up. It’s surprisingly accurate, comparing their forecast to my symptoms on a given day.
Seasonal allergies are getting worse in general out there with global warming, first, by extending the warm growing season and second, promoting pollen intensity and weedy vegetation with the increase in carbon dioxide. Seasonal allergies will hit more people, longer, and more intensely, sorry to say. Something we’ll have to live with.
Red Alders (Alnus rubra) are the most common deciduous tree in the maritime Pacific Northwest. They are pioneer trees who grow fast in disturbed/cleared sites, of which there are many as the region is largely built up now, the primeval lowland conifer forest largely cleared, now patchy these days and mostly second/third growth. Like many pioneer plants they have a short life span, maybe 50 healthy years. Alder’s growth in an area enriches the soil, as a nitrogen-fixer, and they are great for stabilizing riparian sites. Creeks running through a stand of alder will be nice and cool from the canopy and alder roots secure the creek edge from erosion. An alder canopy also discourages weedy undergrowth, which is especially valuable these days under the onslaught of reed canarygrass and other invasive vegetation. Salmon in streams benefit from a tunnel of alders overhead. As you can tell, I’m actually a big fan of alders — outside this pollen season!
We may be moving past peak alder allergy time here. A couple of signs:
1) the catkins are falling off the trees:
and 2) foliage is just starting to appear. Alders time their action so pollen dispersal won’t be blocked by leaves. When the trees leaf out the tree is done with pollen.
Fortunately, I’m far less sensitive to the rest of the plant allergens out there in my area. So far. Pine pollen in May is super abundant and then of course the grasses start getting bad in June. Then weeds….. argggh. I have great sympathy for folks sensitive to more than one kind of pollen.
Spring is here in the PNW.
What’s up in your natural neighborhood?
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