The Causes of Allergies

Have you been sneezing like crazy recently? That’s because it’s allergy season. If you haven’t noticed, our school is surrounded by trees and shrubs that release pollen. Many of these plants could be the ones turning you into a mouth-breather throughout the day. The following plants are those in the area that are allergenic:

Trees:

Alder

Ash

Beech

Birch

Box Elder

Cedar

Cottonwood

Elm

Mulberry

Hickory

Juniper

Oak

Pecan

Red Maple

Silver Maple

Sycamore

Walnut

Willow

Grass:

Bermudagrass (an invasive weed)

Johnsongrass (another invasive weed)

Kentucky bluegrass

Orchard grass

Rye grass

Sweet Vernal grass

Timothy grass

Flowers:

Daisies

Goldenrod

Sunflowers

Chamomile

Chrysanthemums

Amaranth

Wisteria

Lavender

Weeds:

Pigweed

Curly Dock

Lamb’s Quarter

Cocklebur

Mugwort

Some more common symptoms of seasonal/plant allergies could be:

Watery eyes

Congestion

Cough

Sore and/or itchy throat

Headache

As you may notice, there are a ton of plants that cause allergies. It’s very hard to know which ones are giving you trouble. I wouldn’t recommend sniffing at random ones until you start sneezing, so calling an allergist and having them perform allergy tests may help you out. If you already know which ones cause you issues, see which medications work the best for you, and which tissues don’t cause your nose to get all red and scratchy.