Nature

Record Cedar Season Set to Wallop the Texas Hill Country [WATCH]

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Tony Maples Photography

 

It’s that time of year again. The time you love and the time you hate. Just as temperatures become mild enough to spend the majority of your day outside, the trees in the Texas Hill Country decide to make war. Those beautiful branches that so lovingly provide a shady respite during the hot, steamy summer become an outdoor lover’s nightmare. That is if you are allergic to cedar pollen, otherwise known as cedar fever. With this year’s abundant rainfall and mild temperatures, Texans of the Hill Country should prepare for one of the worst cedar season’s in recent memory.

How do you know if you are sensitive to cedar pollen? You’ll feel like you have a cold or the flu. Although fever and muscle aches don’t usually affect sufferers, those afflicted can expect itchy eyes, ears, and skin. Your nose stops running only long enough to power up  for another sneeze and a nagging cough won’t let up. Some folks live in Central Texas for years and never have a problem, while others may steer clear of the systems for years only to have them suddenly take hold. Still, others suffer every year.

This YouTube video from Discovery News captures just how  much pollen is released by just one male cedar tree in its effort to pollinate a female tree. The pollen can travel for miles.

Cedar season usually starts at the beginning of December and can last until March. In particularly bad years, record keepers have recorded cedar pollen all the way into May. And it seems with the rain and milder temperatures, the cedar trees (also known as juniper ash) are itching to explode.

So if you do suffer from cedar fever, what can you do about it? Tex MedClinic recommends the following:

  • Remove cedar trees from your yard
  • Shower and change clothes after spending time outside
  • Keep doors and windows closed
  • Take over the counter allergy medication
  • Use nasal rinses
  • See an allergist to determine if more extensive remedies are appropriate.

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