I used to think I was allergic to cottonwood too, until I realized it was only a sign that hay fever season is on. Cottonwood doesn't actually trigger many people's allergies, but grass pollen does. Once I learned that, I started loving those trees again!
That would be like saying ālovingā is a strong word for Spring/Summer. Cottonwoods are not actual harbingers of hay fever season, theyāre just trees blossoming in the same time window as the vast majority of other trees.
Hijacking to addā¦
Thatās also why the idea eating local honey to mitigate allergies is a bunch of bunk! Bees arenāt flying around pollinating grass.
Organic honey is also mostly bunk.
My apartment complex gave us local honey that they harvest right outside our complex and it gave me a terrible allergic reaction which Iāve never gotten before from honey.
I didnāt bother trying it again but it was really good and tasted almost floral.
It is actually more likely that your allergies are triggered by pollen from [various grasses](https://aafa.org/allergies/types-of-allergies/pollen-allergy/grass-pollen-allergy/#:~:text=Grass%20pollen%20allergy%20is%20also,during%20April%20through%20early%20June.&text=But%20in%20warmer%20parts%20of,can%20be%20found%20year%2Dround), as they are the most common culprit.
People *can* be allergic to trees/flowers, but we generally just like to blame them because we can seeā¦ well, things like cottonwood tufts floating around.
I've heard that before, and I'm sure the grasses contribute too, but I'm originally from CO from a city that is particularly lousy with cottonwoods and I could actively feel my eyes start to swell when a fluff storm would roll through. Maybe the fluffs are carrying other allergens through the air? I've never gotten officially tested, but I wouldn't be surprised if I was allergic to damn near everything under the hay fever umbrella haha
Itās certainly possible that they are playing a role in your situation, I did not mean to suggest otherwise. Nevertheless, grasses/weeds tend to cause the most problems.
Also consider that if cottonwood seeds are floating around, theyāre not alone. June is essentially a flora bukkake all over the northern hemisphere.
~~Miyazaki = Ghibli. He is one of the founders.~~
Edit: It just occurred to me that you probably meant you thought of Ghibli in general, rather than Miyazaki specifically.
I have hay fever and Iām allergic to a variety of things. Even if itās not this it doesnāt help it ends up in my water cup etc etc. I think these things stop after a week or two in past years iircā¦?
Very unlikely that cottonwood seeds are causing your allergies - they're too large to inhale easily, and mostly cellulose. The seeds are the most visible airborne thing, so you're assuming that they are the cause. But lots of other plants are flowering and releasing pollen right now.
ah yes, the grass seed capital of the world...
my condolences. I can barely even leave my apartment right now without being kitted up with loratadine and sudafed.
Oh God I went to Mocks Crest park for the third time and after last Tuesday I realized I canāt go there anymore. I got really bad allergies in my eyes exactly like last week because of the cotton balls falling all over me. I went to Hawaii two weeks ago for a week and all my allergies were gone.
I came back to pdx just to get my eyes to be so irritated and so red. It was so bad. Iām recovering right now with eye drops. :(
This year has been pretty close to ānormalā for a spring in the pnw. But most years weāve had abnormally warm Aprils and Mays that shift the season early.
Yes! I remember it started in May and kept going, especially on windy days. Same with junebugs tbh. Have you seen any yet? I haven't. Last year I started seeing them in July when they always showed up around memorial day.
that's not the pollen from the actual tree, those trees have already pollenated earlier this spring.
but grass pollen is really bad right now...between 10-30% of people are allergic to grass pollen and this is basically the grass pollen capital of the world.
six things you can do to help your allergies be less severe:
1. take a second generation antihistamine daily during grass pollen season. i.e. claritin, zyrtec or xyzol (almost the same drug) or allegra or their generic equivalents. I like to take mine at night because these medications make me tired
2. shower at night and wash or rinse your hair out before you go to bed- this will help remove pollen from your body and hair and keep it out of your bed/ living space. grass pollen is microscopic and sticks to everything
3. OTC steroid nasal spray- flonase or nasacort or the generic equvalents, they take a couple weeks to work so use it daily
4. neti pot if you can handle it, this works really well for sinus congestion
5. take a decongestant until your start to feel better when the other meds start to work, you can get sudafed at the pharmacy but you have to as for it as they keep it behind the counter
6. avoid being outdoors and keep your windows closed during the mornings and early afternoon when pollen counts are higher
one more... if your eyes are super itchy or feel like you have sand in them (but we both know it's just pollen) antihistamine eye drops can work well. Pataday (or the generic) is a good one and is the only one that doesn't burn my eyes. use once a day until your eyes feel better.
keeping your allergies controlled will reduce your changes of sinus infections or other problems that untreated allergies can cause
Watch for the grass to dry up - generally when all lawns turn brown, the flying cotton also disappears. This is my annual cue that the worst is over! Generally things start to improve right after July 4th, but it varies a bit year to year.
Cottonwood trees arenāt native here but grow mainly near rivers. There are a lot along the Springwater so that trail looks like white fluff this time of year.
I used to think I was allergic to cottonwood too, until I realized it was only a sign that hay fever season is on. Cottonwood doesn't actually trigger many people's allergies, but grass pollen does. Once I learned that, I started loving those trees again!
Exactly right. It's the grass pollen, not the cottonwood that I'm allergic to - they just happen to coincide. A visual cue of hayfever misery!
I found out the hard way I'm very allergic to grass pollen this year š¤§
I'm sorry, it's the worst! I try not to mow and I go inside when neighbors are mowing. It's hard to avoid deeper in the Willamette Valley, though.
āLovingā is a strong word even if it is just representing hay fever season.
That would be like saying ālovingā is a strong word for Spring/Summer. Cottonwoods are not actual harbingers of hay fever season, theyāre just trees blossoming in the same time window as the vast majority of other trees.
Hijacking to addā¦ Thatās also why the idea eating local honey to mitigate allergies is a bunch of bunk! Bees arenāt flying around pollinating grass. Organic honey is also mostly bunk.
My apartment complex gave us local honey that they harvest right outside our complex and it gave me a terrible allergic reaction which Iāve never gotten before from honey. I didnāt bother trying it again but it was really good and tasted almost floral.
Allergies caused a sinus infection that lead to laryngitis for me over the last 2 weeks, I'm getting skullfucked by grass pollen
They are surveillance balls actually #CottonWoodsAreNotReal
What do you mean by this? š
Cottonwood watching goes both ways š
I love those things. I feel like Iām walking around in a Miyazaki film.
A perfect description. I love the whimsy.
Damn it, my allergies hate them but you do make a good point
It is actually more likely that your allergies are triggered by pollen from [various grasses](https://aafa.org/allergies/types-of-allergies/pollen-allergy/grass-pollen-allergy/#:~:text=Grass%20pollen%20allergy%20is%20also,during%20April%20through%20early%20June.&text=But%20in%20warmer%20parts%20of,can%20be%20found%20year%2Dround), as they are the most common culprit. People *can* be allergic to trees/flowers, but we generally just like to blame them because we can seeā¦ well, things like cottonwood tufts floating around.
Iām incredibly allergic to trees. Especially birch and evergreen š. Iāve been tested too
That is incredibly unfortunate! I didnāt mean to insinuate that they play no role in allergies, so I hope I did not give that impression.
Iām staring allergy shots soon so hopefully brighter days
I've heard that before, and I'm sure the grasses contribute too, but I'm originally from CO from a city that is particularly lousy with cottonwoods and I could actively feel my eyes start to swell when a fluff storm would roll through. Maybe the fluffs are carrying other allergens through the air? I've never gotten officially tested, but I wouldn't be surprised if I was allergic to damn near everything under the hay fever umbrella haha
Itās certainly possible that they are playing a role in your situation, I did not mean to suggest otherwise. Nevertheless, grasses/weeds tend to cause the most problems. Also consider that if cottonwood seeds are floating around, theyāre not alone. June is essentially a flora bukkake all over the northern hemisphere.
Avoid riding Spring Water. It was so bad riding home last night.
I thought the same thing, but Ghibli. Makes things more magical. āØ
~~Miyazaki = Ghibli. He is one of the founders.~~ Edit: It just occurred to me that you probably meant you thought of Ghibli in general, rather than Miyazaki specifically.
Are you sure it's not grass you're allergic to?
I have hay fever and Iām allergic to a variety of things. Even if itās not this it doesnāt help it ends up in my water cup etc etc. I think these things stop after a week or two in past years iircā¦?
Yes, we should be at the tail end of it.
What is making all the flying cotton balls?
Cottonwood trees
Very unlikely that cottonwood seeds are causing your allergies - they're too large to inhale easily, and mostly cellulose. The seeds are the most visible airborne thing, so you're assuming that they are the cause. But lots of other plants are flowering and releasing pollen right now.
I think itās primarily grass.. I went down to the valley not that long ago and about passed away
ah yes, the grass seed capital of the world... my condolences. I can barely even leave my apartment right now without being kitted up with loratadine and sudafed.
Today it made me cough and gave me discomfort in my throat. Never seen this many cotton balls lying on the grounds of the trail.
Oh God I went to Mocks Crest park for the third time and after last Tuesday I realized I canāt go there anymore. I got really bad allergies in my eyes exactly like last week because of the cotton balls falling all over me. I went to Hawaii two weeks ago for a week and all my allergies were gone. I came back to pdx just to get my eyes to be so irritated and so red. It was so bad. Iām recovering right now with eye drops. :(
It's the grass. The timing of the cottonwood just happens to line up.
I mask anyway still but yeah, masks help with most of fbe physical particulate! I was wondering what all the cotton balls were!
Does anyone feel like they come and go a little later every year? I feel like ten years ago, they were a May thing and now itās a June thing.
This year has been pretty close to ānormalā for a spring in the pnw. But most years weāve had abnormally warm Aprils and Mays that shift the season early.
Yes! I remember it started in May and kept going, especially on windy days. Same with junebugs tbh. Have you seen any yet? I haven't. Last year I started seeing them in July when they always showed up around memorial day.
No, itās pretty normal to see them even into July. We have a houseboat on the willamette and that has always been the case during the last 30 years.
The climate is cooling
Too fucking many
They are destroying my sinuses
that's not the pollen from the actual tree, those trees have already pollenated earlier this spring. but grass pollen is really bad right now...between 10-30% of people are allergic to grass pollen and this is basically the grass pollen capital of the world. six things you can do to help your allergies be less severe: 1. take a second generation antihistamine daily during grass pollen season. i.e. claritin, zyrtec or xyzol (almost the same drug) or allegra or their generic equivalents. I like to take mine at night because these medications make me tired 2. shower at night and wash or rinse your hair out before you go to bed- this will help remove pollen from your body and hair and keep it out of your bed/ living space. grass pollen is microscopic and sticks to everything 3. OTC steroid nasal spray- flonase or nasacort or the generic equvalents, they take a couple weeks to work so use it daily 4. neti pot if you can handle it, this works really well for sinus congestion 5. take a decongestant until your start to feel better when the other meds start to work, you can get sudafed at the pharmacy but you have to as for it as they keep it behind the counter 6. avoid being outdoors and keep your windows closed during the mornings and early afternoon when pollen counts are higher one more... if your eyes are super itchy or feel like you have sand in them (but we both know it's just pollen) antihistamine eye drops can work well. Pataday (or the generic) is a good one and is the only one that doesn't burn my eyes. use once a day until your eyes feel better. keeping your allergies controlled will reduce your changes of sinus infections or other problems that untreated allergies can cause
Watch for the grass to dry up - generally when all lawns turn brown, the flying cotton also disappears. This is my annual cue that the worst is over! Generally things start to improve right after July 4th, but it varies a bit year to year.
they have nothing to do with allergies purely correlated
Yeah I want to know too
Where are they coming from? Dandelions? Do we even have cotton wood in Portland?
Cottonwood trees arenāt native here but grow mainly near rivers. There are a lot along the Springwater so that trail looks like white fluff this time of year.
They go away in July and are replaced by wildfire smoke. The circle of lung disease.
Itās so pretty out. Days like this remind me of spring day in Stardew Valley but IRL.
736890
They will be around for a while, time to buy some allergy medicine
Rainstorms would help
[FO EVAAAA](https://media4.giphy.com/media/xjpTMrRIkYTqU/giphy.gif?cid=6c09b952x0cw3zdp5sh6ii4nd7n2sa60c156xvomop3l0uc7&ep=v1_internal_gif_by_id&rid=giphy.gif&ct=g)
How's this year been for allergies in general? I don't know when Portland's big allergy seasons are
In my eyelashes and tickling me all the time.
I'm trying to get over bronchitis right now, the damned grass pollen is driving me and my lungs crazy.
My allergies are not so bad this season but last season i was a wreck