Here it is, January and it is now the beginning of so called cedar fever season. Cedar is our central Texas evergreen which is not a cedar but a juniper. But, we call junipers cedars because that is what we have called them for hundreds of years despite the fact that we all know them to be junipers. We could not change our vocabulary now because too many phrases depend on the cedar wording.
The newspapers publish on a daily basis the pollen count in ambient air to make sure that those who are not subject to cedar fever can blame their feeling bad on cedar fever without the risk of being criticized for being a hypochondriac.
No matter what, allergies to cedar ---ooops---juniper pollen is a serious thing to many people. We know of people who have moved from the area specifically because of their allergic reaction to the pollen---running nose, coughing, headaches, etc.
Old timers say that the way to cure yourself from this allergy is to eat only a few of the small blue berries produced on the female tree. That would seem reasonable, but so far, we have not had the courage to try this remedy. When people say eat only a few, I become cautious. The natural remedy compound producers are having a bountiful time producing antihistamine remedies made from plant extracts, so you can readily appreciate the commercial benefits of the nasty pollen of the juniper.
At this time of the year, the overall color of the male tree is brown from all the pollen hanging onto the tips of the branches. The female tree is just sitting there with its green color waiting for some pollen to get blown in its direction.
In our backyard, we have Mr. & Mrs. Ashe Juniper looking normal for the season. The male is on the left of this photo, the female on the right. In their particular case, the strong wind today is from the right side of the picture, so the female tree will have to depend on some other male tree upwind. Too bad for the fellow, but then there is a female tree downwind somewhere.
At times, the male tree disgorges so much pollen that a cloud of brownish dust is blown from the tree to the extent it appears that the tree is on fire. That's when the pollen sufferers really complain.
The newspapers publish on a daily basis the pollen count in ambient air to make sure that those who are not subject to cedar fever can blame their feeling bad on cedar fever without the risk of being criticized for being a hypochondriac.
No matter what, allergies to cedar ---ooops---juniper pollen is a serious thing to many people. We know of people who have moved from the area specifically because of their allergic reaction to the pollen---running nose, coughing, headaches, etc.
Old timers say that the way to cure yourself from this allergy is to eat only a few of the small blue berries produced on the female tree. That would seem reasonable, but so far, we have not had the courage to try this remedy. When people say eat only a few, I become cautious. The natural remedy compound producers are having a bountiful time producing antihistamine remedies made from plant extracts, so you can readily appreciate the commercial benefits of the nasty pollen of the juniper.
At this time of the year, the overall color of the male tree is brown from all the pollen hanging onto the tips of the branches. The female tree is just sitting there with its green color waiting for some pollen to get blown in its direction.
In our backyard, we have Mr. & Mrs. Ashe Juniper looking normal for the season. The male is on the left of this photo, the female on the right. In their particular case, the strong wind today is from the right side of the picture, so the female tree will have to depend on some other male tree upwind. Too bad for the fellow, but then there is a female tree downwind somewhere.
At times, the male tree disgorges so much pollen that a cloud of brownish dust is blown from the tree to the extent it appears that the tree is on fire. That's when the pollen sufferers really complain.
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Male and Female Ashe Junipers
Looking to the background of the picture, there are other male trees showing the brown pollen---some are more dramatic than others.
Not all is lost however with this nasty allergy problem, as the bees find it really great food for their hives and those who harvest the honey from controlled sources say that the "cedar" honey is really good tasting. In addition, the birds really like to eat the small blue berries which are now beginning to ripen from last years pollination. The whole system seems to be connected for a good story.
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