What's up, Forsyth?

  Rye Grass: A Cool Season Grass Causing Allergies in Warmer Months Written by Dr. Joel Gallagher, Allergy and Asthma Center of NC, Cone Health Medical Group and Dr. Peter Gallagher, PhD Professor Emeritus, College of Applied & Natural Sciences at Louisiana Tech University  Rye grass (Lolium species ) is a cool season type of turf grass (along with fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, and other grass varieties) as opposed to the warm season grasses such as Bermuda grass, St. Augustine, Zoysia, and centipede. North Carolina is in a transitional zone where a combination of warm season and cool season grasses are often used. In the Piedmont Triad, rye grass seed is often mixed with other grass species either for faster coverage (especially with autumn planting) or overseeded for winter color (when the warm weather grasses are brown while they are dormant). Image of perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne ). " perennial ryegrass Lolium perenne " by  loarie  is licensed un...

    Pigweed: Invasive Weed or Delicacy? Written by Anne Ambs, Allergy and Asthma Center of NC, Cone Health Medical Group As summer rapidly approaches, plants in the pigweed family begin to make an appearance across the United States. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), the organization that oversees the National Allergy Bureau (NAB) pollen monitoring program, includes pigweed, goosefoot, lamb's quarters, amaranth, saltbush, and Russian thistle in a single group for pollen counting purposes. The pollen grains from these plants are so similar that it is not possible to distinguish them.   Although pigweed is generally considered a nuisance weed, growing along the roadside and frequently fighting for space in lovingly cultivated gardens, it has long been utilized as a source of food, with nearly all parts of the pigweed being edible. Native American cultures grew pigweed as a staple crop, specifically Palmer amaranth ( Amaranth palmeri ...

  Bermuda Grass, or Devil Grass for Allergy Sufferers! Written by Dr. Joel Gallagher, Allergy and Asthma Center of NC, Cone Health Medical Group Bermuda grass… It always brings me back to my teenage days pulling weeds when I worked as a gardener in high school! This grass is extremely tenacious, and it was nearly impossible to completely eradicate it from a garden bed. There was something very appealing about it, however. The blue-green hue of the blades of grass made a distinct impact, and its ability to grow just about anywhere certainly made it one of the hardier strains of turf grass! Bermuda grass is very common on golf courses, as its low growing nature makes it ideal for the perfectly manicured putting greens amongst the rolling hills of the country clubs. It is also serves as a better choice for golf courses since it is more drought-tolerant, more pest-resistant, and recovers quickly from high traffic than many other types of grass. On the other hand, its tenacity also ca...

What's up, Forsyth? Remember—what's "up" must also come down, which is fitting for this blog post on the links between air and water quality.  What Goes Up Must Come Down: How Today’s Air Pollution Becomes Tomorrow's Water Pollution When we burn fossil fuels in our vehicles, gas-powered equipment, power plants, or factories, they emit nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sometimes (depending on the type of fuel used)  sulfur dioxide (SO2) . These gases pollute the air and cause problems for human health, and they also harm our environment. Specifically, many of our water quality issues, including freshwater acidification  and eutrophication , can result from emissions of air pollutants. Essentially,  the air pollution we create today can become a major source of water quality issues tomorrow. In North Carolina, on-road mobile sources (cars and trucks) are t he biggest contributors to NOx ; whereas, electric generating units (EGUs), more commonly known as power plants, are ...

  Pine: The Pollen with a Bad Rap Written by Dr. Joel Gallagher, Allergy and Asthma Center of NC, Cone Health Medical Group Ahhhh… the sweet smell of pine. The smell of the winter holiday season. The smell of that quintessential cleaning solution that my mom used to clean just about anything around the house when I was growing up. Pine definitely brings me back to where I grew up in northern Louisiana. Pine trees were everywhere (including several 100+ year old pine trees in my own backyard). The names of establishments around my hometown literally began with “Piney Hills” (Piney Hills Golf Course, Piney Hills Tackle Shop, etc.). Pine trees are a big part of my new home here in North Carolina as well, although hardwoods tend to be more prominent in the Piedmont Triad. It was always taught during my fellowship and all board review books that pine (member of the genus Pinus ) is a non-allergenic pollen. Although it gets a LOT of the blame for spring allergy symptoms (at least whe...

  Spring’s Gold Rush: An Oak Pollen Adventure Written by Anne Ambs, Allergy and Asthma Center of NC, Cone Health Medical Group My latest weekend adventure took me to Winston-Salem in search of oak trees and oak pollen. I was quickly rewarded with my first sighting of the mighty oak while ambling down the Old Salem causeway and again while wandering around Salem Lake.   These giant beauties inspired me to look up a few fun facts about oak trees. Fun facts about oaks:  They are home to migrating warblers. Although oak trees are wind-pollinated, they support a wide variety of pollinators, including 500+ species of butterflies and moths. Symbolizing strength, the oak tree became the national tree of the US in 2004. Raleigh is known as the City of Oaks because it is home to many oak trees. Oak trees are struck by lightning more than any other tree due to their height and high water content. Some oak trees that are over 1000 years old include the Great Oak in Temecula, CA, ...