We always think of springtime as being a happy time because the coldest part of the year is finally over, the days are longer, the sun is warmer, the blossoms are blooming and we can be outdoors to enjoy it all.
However, it’s also the one season that plenty of people could well do without because they have to still stay indoors. Beginning with early spring, millions of folks around the world (that’s 25 per cent of us Canadians) suffer from mild (that’s me) to monstrous (that’s my poor pal in Vancouver who looked like a squinty-eyed puffer fish this year) allergic reactions from air-borne pollen particles departing in yellow clouds from trees, as well as grass and plants.
When these foreign substances enter into the more sensitive bodies, it creates an immune system response commonly known as hay fever, (aka seasonal or outdoor allergy or allergic rhinitis), with symptoms ranging from runny noses, watery or itchy eyes, sneezing, headaches and sometimes more serious conditions such as upper respiratory problems including asthma.
Some only suffer for a couple of months, whereas others are cursed to cope with it until late fall or even for most of the year (trees waft away spring, summer and fall). But there’s even more bad news for those plagued by pollen.
Sadly, spring sees statistically the highest suicide rate of the year, which is attributed to a number of possible factors, one of them from being exposed to aeroallergens that cause inflammation in the brain as well as certain chemical reactions, which sometimes trigger suicidal behaviour. So if you’re feeling bummed for no particular reason these days, perhaps it’s partly because of all the pollen in the air.
I bought a big, beautiful hardcover book off a discount table a couple of years ago titled Pollen – The Hidden Sexuality of Flowers by Rob Kesseler and Madeline Harley, which was not only loaded with all kinds of great information, but also with wondrous and amazing photos taken by super-sophisticated micro-lensed cameras.
The English word ‘pollen’ is also the Latin word, which means ‘fine dust or flour’ and has been uttered since antiquity.
Its first use as a scientific word to describe the male sperm- carrying units of flowering plants is credited to Carl Linnaeus in his publication Sponsalia Plantarum (The Betrothals of Plants) in 1747, who defines pollen like this: “Pollen is the dust of vegetables, which will burst when moistened with the appropriate liquid, and propulsively explode a substance which is not discernible by the naked senses.”
The pollen grains themselves are considered among the most beautiful and remarkable in nature, albeit on a teensy, weensy scale and I highly recommend getting on the Internet to see some photos. These masterpieces of natural architecture and engineering are the extraordinarily structured and elaborate containers for carrying the sperm cells of two major plant groups: flowering plants (angiosperms), and conifers and their relatives and they come in thousands of ‘pollen types.’
This critical and life-giving mating game called pollination between the plants via air, insects or mammals may be one of nature’s most perfect performances and one we should never take for granted. Many of us gardeners are becoming much more aware and concerned of the plight of our pollinators and are taking steps to add or switch plants in their yards to provide their favourite flowering foods, which should also be from spring until late fall. Providing habitat and housing – both natural and man-made – can also play a critical role in their survival too (as well as a safe water source where they won’t drown). So let’s all do our part to make sure these carriers of those microscopic miracles of nature never end and life goes on.