🌾 Guide
What’s pollinating today? How to read the pollen calendar and ease allergies
Runny nose, itchy eyes and tiredness for no reason? Before you blame a cold, check what’s pollinating today. In season it’s usually an allergy — and knowing which pollen is in the air changes everything.
The pollen calendar in short
In much of Europe the season spreads across the warm months and depends on the species:
- February–April: alder and birch (trees) — the first strong season.
- May–July: grasses — the most common and troublesome allergy.
- July–September: mugwort, then ragweed — a late, strong season often mistaken for a “late-summer cold”.
Levels change day to day with the weather: warm, dry, windy days usually mean more pollen, while rain briefly washes it out.
How to know what’s pollinating near you
General calendars help, but what you actually have in the air today, in your area depends on local weather. That’s why it’s worth watching the current pollen levels for your location, species by species — especially for the plants you really react to.
If you know birch is your trigger, a vague “high pollen” tells you little. The specific “birch — high today” lets you plan: take medication earlier, air the room later, grab sunglasses.
How to ease symptoms
- On high-pollen days, air your home in the evening, not the morning.
- After coming home, rinse your nose with saline and change clothes.
- Don’t dry laundry outside at the peak of the season.
- Antihistamines work better preventively — before symptoms flare. Ask a doctor or pharmacist about choice and dosing.
Allergy or something else?
Allergy usually brings itching (nose, eyes, throat), a watery runny nose and symptoms that recur at the same time of year — without fever. If a fever, muscle aches or lingering symptoms appear despite no pollen, it may be an infection — then see a doctor.
The best way to tell them apart is to note your symptoms together with what pollinated that day. After one season you’ll see your own pattern — and stop guessing.
This article is for information only and does not replace medical advice.
Lunaria — the health diary that listens
Note how you feel in a sentence, and Lunaria connects it with weather, pollen and the moon — and reveals patterns.