What's up, Forsyth?

  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? Our next pollen blog post is here! Thanks to Dr. Gallagher with Allergy and Asthma Center of NC for teaching us all about maple pollen, which are commonly observed in Forsyth County's pollen count this time of year. Maples — Beyond  the Syrup! Written by Dr. Joel Gallagher, Allergy and Asthma Center of NC, Cone Health Medical Group Well, the pollen season is officially upon us and in full swing. Today we are going to delve into maple pollen! Although we think a bit more about maples in the fall season when leaves are transitioning into shades of crimson, burnt orange, and yellow ocher, it plays an important part in the spring allergy season as well. My childhood memories of maple involve playing with maple seedpods (called samaras), which resemble tiny helicopter blades. However, before the seedpods take form, we are graced with the maple pollen. Like many of the allergenic springtime pollens, it is the perfect size to enter our airways and cause allergic...

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...