green living | global warming

GREEN LIVING

Global Warming's Growing Threat.

Global warming poses a threat to asthma and allergy patients. A hotter climate means earlier blooms in spring and a longer season for fall allergens such as ragweed and mugwort. Basically, more warmth means more plants and more pollen. Moreover, an environment affected by global warming creates prime conditions for asthma with more air pollution, more ozone, and more wildfires which will worsen air quality, aggravating asthma.

In July, a report from the Environmental Protection Agency included asthma on a list of possible health risks from global warming.

Find your region below and see what plants and pollens will worsen in your area.

Regional Horticulture Reference Guide

Ragweed, a tall, branched plant, is native to North America and found throughout the lower 48 states on dry fields, pastures, roadsides and construction sites.
  • Ragweed has 15 different species throughout the United States.
  • The plants usually release pollen in the late summer.
  • The giant ragweed, meanwhile, can reach up to 17 feet in height, and is native from Quebec to British Columbia in Canada and southward to Florida, Arkansas and California in the USA.
  • The ragweed/composite family includes sunflowers, daisies and mugwort.

The Desert Region

(Arizona, New Mexico)

In the Desert region, cedar, ash and oak pollinate from February to April. Other allergy-causing trees include the cypress, mesquite, ash and olive.

The grass season for this region can last from April until October. The primary allergenic grasses for the region are brome, Bermuda, salt grass, rye, Canary grass, and June grass.

Weeds in the region pollinate from March to December, including the ragweed, chenopod and sage. Other weeds that can trigger allergies include the carelessweed, iodine bush, saltbush/scale, lamb's-quarter and Russian thistle.

The Great Lakes Region

(Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio)

In the Great Lakes region, allergy-provoking trees pollinate from March to June. The most common allergy-causing trees in this region are the elm, maple/box elder, alder, birch, oak and hickory. The oak tree may continue pollinating until mid-June.

Many grasses pollinate in this region during the summer, from May to July. Starting in May, redtop, brome, orchard grass, fescue, rye, Bermuda and timothy pollinate.

Weeds generally pollinate from July to September, including ragweed, plantain and nettle. Other allergy-causing weeds in the region include the waterhemp, lamb's-quarter, pigweed, Mexican fire bush and Russian thistle. Later in the season, hemp can cause problems for allergy sufferers — typically from mid-July to mid-August. Then, from early August until late September, ragweed pollinates in this region.

The Mountain Region

(Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado)

In the Mountain region, trees usually pollinate from March to May. The primary allergy-causing trees include the cedar, maple and oak. Other trees that may trigger allergies are the box elder, alder, birch, juniper and ash.

Grasses pollinate from April to July in this region. Some of the more problematic grasses include quack grass/wheat grass, redtop, brome, Bermuda grass and orchard grass.

Weeds take over from early June through October, including ragweed, tumbleweed and chenopod. Other weeds that may cause allergies include waterhemp, pigweed, iodine bush, saltbush/scale, sugarbeet, lamb's-quarter, Mexican fire bush and Russian thistle.

The Northeast Region

(Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia)

Beginning in February and lasting until June, several types of trees in this region produce allergy-causing pollen — particularly birch, maple/box elder, oak, juniper/cedar and pine trees.

From May to late August, grasses pollinate in the area, including orchard, redtop, fescue and timothy. Other allergy-causing grasses in the region include vernal grass and Bermuda grass.

From August to October, weeds such as ragweed, plantain and nettle pollinate in this region. Other weeds that can trigger allergies include the lamb's-quarter, cocklebur, pigweed and Mexican fire bush.

The Pacific Region

(Washington, Oregon, California)

In the Pacific region, trees usually pollinate from February to June. The trees that cause the most allergy-related problems in this region are the cedar, walnut and rye. Other trees that may cause allergies in this region are the hazel, juniper, alder, ash, birch, box elder and oak.

Grasses generally pollinate from March to November in this region. Some of the most common allergy-causing grasses are sweet vernal, fescue, bluegrass, Bermuda grass, brome, orchard, quack grass, wheat grass and redtop.

The weed season for the region generally lasts from April to November, including ragweed, chenopod and sage. Other weeds that can cause allergy problems include pigweed, iodine bush, saltbush, lamb's-quarter, Mexican fire bush and Russian thistle.

The Plains Region

(North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas)

In this region, trees pollinate from March to May, including the oak and cedar. Other allergy-causing trees include the alder, birch, maple/box elder and hazelnut.

Grasses pollinate from late May to July in this region, including quack grass/wheat grass, redtop, brome, orchard grass and rye grass.

Weeds take over from July through September, including ragweed, plantain and nettle. Other allergy-causing weeds include the water hemp, pigweed, lamb's-quarter, Mexican fire bush and Russian thistle.

The Southern Region

(Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina)

In this region, a variety of trees can cause allergies in some people for short periods of time. Some of the most common allergy-causing trees are the pecan, oak and cedar. Other trees that can cause allergies include the maple/box elder, birch and hickory.

Grass pollens can pollinate nearly year-round in parts of this region. Some of the most problematic grasses are Bermuda, bahia, redtop, vernal, orchard, rye, salt grass, fescue and timothy.

Among the allergy-causing weeds are ragweed, plantain and nettle. Other weeds to watch out for are lamb's-quarter, sagebrush, English plantain, pigweed, waterhemp and carelessweed.

The Southwest Region

(Oklahoma, Texas)

In the Southwest region, cedar, elm and oak begin pollinating in early January and end in June. Other allergy-causing trees include the box elder and mesquite. Elm begins in late January and ends in April, and olive pollinates from mid-March to mid-April.

The grass season for this region usually begins in April and lasts until September. The primary allergenic grasses for the region are Bermuda, quack grass/wheat grass and redtop.

Weeds in the region include ragweed, chenopod and dock, which pollinate between July and October. Other allergy-causing weeds include waterhemp, carelessweed/pigweed, saltbush/scale and lamb's-quarter.