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 ...

  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, ...

What's up, Forsyth? It's time for another pollen blog post from a guest writer and expert with the Allergy and Asthma Center NC.  On the Lookout for Elm Pollen: An Elm Pollen Adventure Written by Anne Ambs, Allergy and Asthma Center of NC, Cone Health Medical Group Hi, I’m Anne, nurse practitioner at the Allergy and Asthma Center of NC ! As a nature enthusiast, I can be found hiking and exploring everything outside in North Carolina on most weekends. While soaking in Nature’s beauty this past weekend , I went on a short quest to find elm trees in the Pilot Mountain area , as elm pollen will soon make an appearance in the environment. W hile I did not spot any elm trees on my outdoor adventure this weekend , m y eyes and nose were itching to tell a different story, that they had , indeed , already arrived.   Elm trees belong to the Ulmus genus, and they live primarily in North America, Europe, and parts of Asia. Interestingly, elms can be found in every US state e...

What's Up, Forsyth? The Forsyth County Office of Environmental Assistance and Protection officially began our pollen monitoring and forecasting program for the 2025 season on February 10th. In addition to reading our daily report, which you can access by following us on Facebook and X , checking our website , or subscribing to emails and faxes, we are excited to provide more in-depth information through a series of pollen-focused blog posts. These short blogs will feature some of our "worst offenders" throughout the year and will be written by allergy specialists from the Allergy and Asthma Center of NC. We're kicking off the series with cedar, which are abundant this time of year.  Cedar Fever Written by Dr. Joel Gallagher, Allergy and Asthma Center of NC, Cone Health Medical Group Pollen season is traditionally thought of as occurring in the early spring – March into May – when the characteristic yellow plumes float through the air when we get a lovely breeze and ca...

What’s Up, Forsyth? In this blog post, we explain how the air pollution and airborne pollen levels are changing seasonally. We also compare Forsyth County’s air quality and pollen season in 2024 with 2023 and share tips for reducing air pollution exposure this winter. How is our air quality changing this time of year? Ground-level ozone season (the period of time when we monitor and forecast for ozone) lasts from March 1 st to October 31 st . This is because sunlight and heat are needed for it to form. Between November 1 st and February 28 th /29 th , ozone concentrations are much lower since our days are shorter and colder, and it is not necessary, nor required by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to monitor for ozone in North Carolina during this period. Particulate matter (PM) concentrations can be high any time of year, therefore, we monitor PM and provide the air quality forecast for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) year-round. PM levels are generally higher in win...

What's up, Forsyth??        Looking to learn more about our 2023 pollen season and pollen monitoring program in general? We have the blog for you!      The  Forsyth County Office of Environmental Assistance and Protection (FCOEAP) has been monitoring local pollen concentrations for over 25 years (since 1997), with each pollen monitoring season typically beginning in early to mid-February and concluding around late October. For 2023, the last day FCOEAP counted pollen this year was on October 31st, prior to an influx of colder air that brought a widespread freeze to the Triad which effectively ended the growing season.      Our daily pollen samples are collected with  a RotoRod Model 40 sampler (Figure 1), and then the samples are analyzed using a Leitz Wetzlar microscope (Figure 2). The area of the sample and the sampling time are fixed parameters, allowing us to calculate pollen concentrations based on the number of grains cou...