If one topic has been discussed this month more than the beauty of the weather, the glorious profusion of golden daffodils in Gloucester this spring, or the massive crowd enjoying the annual Daffodil Festival, it was the amount of pollen hovering in the air and covering our cars, decks, and streets.
Pollen is the fine, powdery substance inside flowering plants that contains the male reproductive cells and other structures. When pollen comes into contact with the female part of a plant, germination occurs, and a new flowering plant can develop.
In many regions, including Virginia, pollen is a three-season occurrence with spring pollen production causing the most problems for humans in the form of seasonal allergies. Our bodies perceive pollen as the enemy and go into attack mode, releasing substances called histamines and other chemicals that make us cough and sneeze and cause our noses to run and eyes to itch and water. We also feel fatigued and irritable.
Pollen is sticky, and when we...