Cedar Pollen Making Its Annual Return
The Ashe juniper goes by several names, mostly cedar. Photo courtesy flickr.com/79666107@N00Red itchy eyes? Sneezing? Runny nose? Feeling blah? Blame it on cedar pollen. The airborne irritant is starting to show up, and some Central Texans have been feeling it for days.
Austin allergist Russell Roby says he learned how to count pollen when he was in medical school, but that in his opinion patient complaints are a better indicator.
“I stopped counting pollen 20 years ago, but what we do is, we know our patients, and the cedar patients are coming in,” Roby said. “Not a lot yet, just a trickle, but yes, they’re definitely reacting to cedar.”
Many people call it “cedar fever” although the tree the pollen comes from is more properly called the ashe juniper. The trees will release pollen for the next few weeks.
