Do your symptoms follow a definite seasonal pattern, mushrooming in the spring and subsiding in winter? You could be allergic to pollen – the powder mass of tiny grains that burst from trees, grasses, weeds, and flowers every spring and summer, and that are carried everywhere by the wind (and sometimes by animals).

Not all pollens causes allergy. Pine tree pollen, for instance, doesn’t seem to cause allergies, despite the fact that pine trees produces tons of it. Ragweed, on the other hand, products the most widespread and allergenic pollen in North America. Tables below shows the other most common types of allergy provoking pollen.

Because trees, grass and weeds produce microscopic pollen that’s easily carried off by the wind, their pollen is much ,more apt to trigger allergies than flower pollen, which is large, sticky and for the most part toted from plant to plant by insects. However, tree and weed pollen can land on flowers – something to keep in mind when bringing cut flowers indoors (some people react badly to the mere fragrance of roses and other highly scented flowers).

Wind can carry pollen thousand of miles; map charting pollen types and levels for different areas of the country are only rough guides. They might hold true if there were or no wind, or if the wind patterns remained constant. Neither is the case, of course. In fact, allergists themselves can’t always tell from one year to the next what sort of pollen will blow into town.

Moving from one area of the country to another to escape pollen may not provide relief. You could leave home to escape ragweed, for instance, only to develop an allergy to cedar, elm or birch pollen in your new location. By the same token, while pollen counts are usually higher in the countryside, large cities such as New York and Chicago are not entirely pollen free – thanks again to wind.

Generally, however, the seashore and high mountains have at least pollen. We can’t usually see pollen. But those allergic to it are only too aware of nature’s seasonal bombardment. Leafy trees like birch, elm, maple and poplar generally pollinate in early springs: grasses in late spring and summer; weeds like ragweed in late summer.

Keep in mind, though, that in Texas and the Southwest spring can arrive as early as late January of February, sending pollen as far north as Chicago in the dead of winter. And is states like Florida or California, trees and grass pollinate year round. Seasonality depends on where you live.

Pollen is worse on a dry, windy day and better when it rains, since the water washes it away. Pollen levels are highest in late evening and early morning. Staying indoors with your windows closed – especially while you sleep – can help you avoid the worst of it.

Obviously, you can’t cut the grass, clear weeds and brush or play in a field during pollen season without stirring up a flurry of it. But there are steps to help you win out against pollen.

• Air conditioning is a natural way to help defend your home against pollen. And buying a car with air conditioning or having it installed will make a drive through the country more bearable.
• During the summer, you should rinse your hair after coming in from playing or working outdoors and before going to bed at night. Otherwise, you could sleep in an air conditioned room and still have severe symptoms from pollen falling into eyes and nose.
• Pets carry pollen in their fur. Discourage them from coming inside during pollen season – unless you want to hose them down every night, too.
• Cut down any ragweed on your property. You can safety hack it down yourself after a fall frost kills the flowers (wear heavy work gloves and coveralls to protect your skin from oils in the plants’ stems). The following spring, keep the area mowed to prevent the weed from gaining ground again.

Some ragweed pollen may still drift your way from neighboring fields – or the other side of town. But every plant you kill means a million less pollen grains to contend with.

• Consider replanting a large part of your lawn with a less allergenic (and work free) ground cover such as myrtle or crown vetch. Interspersed with azaleas, rock and paths of crushed stone in the graceful style of Japanese gardens, your backyard may turn out to be more beautiful than your neighbors’ expanses of golf course greenery.

At the same time, you’ll cut down on the need for the chemical pesticides required to maintain picture perfect lawns – a big plus for those sensitive to chemicals.

• Ridding the house of dust and molds year around will help the allergic person tolerate seasonal exposure to pollen. Again, it’s a matter of treating a specific allergy but reducing the total load of related irritants.

Common Sources of Allergy-Provoking Pollen

Weeds	Trees	Grasses
Burning bush	Alder	Bahia
Careless weed	Beech	Bermuda
Dandelion	Birch	Bluegrass (some)
English plantain	Cottonwood	Brome
Firebush	Elm	Common reed
Goldenrod	Eucalyptus	Johnson
Lamb's-quarters	Hazel	Meadow fescue
Marsh elder	Hickory (especially pecan)	Meadow foxtail
Mexican fireweed	Maple (box elder)	Oats (cultivated)
Nettle	Mountain cedar	Orchard
Ox-eye daisy	Oak	Redtop (bent)
Pigweed (redroot, rough)	Olive	Ryegrass (perennial and cultivated)
Ragweed	Poplar	Sweet vernal
Russian thistle (tumbleweed)	Sycamore	Timothy
Sagebrush (wormwood and mugwort)	White ash	Wheat (cultivated)
Sheep sorrel	White pine
Spiny amaranth	Willow