Early allergies

For those of us who have allergies, no, you don't have a cold. Early pollinators are out, and they are going to town. Most folks don't even know it's happening. If you live in the Northeast, like New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or you live in the Southern Appalachians, it looks like Winter is still with us, but there are a few hardy shrubs who are always ready to jump the gun. They are the Hazels (both species) and the Tag Alder, Alder and the American, or Leafy Hazelnut are both found near streams and creeks, and both shedding pollen right now. The Beaked Hazelnut will not be far behind. Since they are wind pollinated, they don't have to worry about any hardy insects being out in what seems the dead of Winter.

Both are in the same family, called Betulaceae (or Corylaceae) by Botanists, and just plain old Birch (or sometimes Hazel) family by the layman. All of them, Birches, Hazels, Alders and relatives have similar floral parts and seeds, and all are pretty much wind pollinated.

This family has flowers called catkins, a type of aggregated flowers all in a bunch. The male catkins are pendulous, and the female ones, the ones that make the seed, are small and generally upright. In the Hazel, there is only one female flower, a tiny red one, generally on the end of the twigs. I am linking to a couple of pictures on the USDA Plants Database, as I don't have any good pictures. They are at USDA Alder, and USDA Hazel. Note that following these links will take you away from this page unless you open them in new tabs.

I will place a couple of my own that are not quite as nice to display the density of them. First a couple of Hazel photos taken along Hominy Creek near Asheville, and then some Alder photos taken along Gashes Creek near the Blue Ridge Parkway where is crosses US 74-A. The USDA photos show the red catkins of the female flowers both on Alder, and the single tiny flower of the female catkin of Hazel. The last photo is of Hazel taken near the Swannanoa River in Asheville.

If you look closely at the photos I present, though not technically very good, they illustrate the sheer mass of pollen being shed at this time of year. Think of these photos, and then think of every little creek, stream, branch, rill or trickle which is absolutely certain to have these lovely little shrubs along them, at least Alders, and you can figure that there are probably tons of Alder pollen (hazel is not quite so common) blowing around in the air right now in the Southern Appalachians. It is no wonder that people have "colds" they cannot seem to get rid of.