While much of the United States is still battling winter snows and cold temperatures, the spring pollen season gets underway in the South.
Silver maple (Acer saccharinum), native to Eastern Oklahoma and other parts of the south and widely-used as an ornamental, is among the earliest trees to pollinate. We have even seen this tree pollinating in January in Tulsa. Concentrations are typically low but the presence of this pollen type indicates that others are soon to follow. Although silver maple may release pollen earlier, the major pollen types in the February atmosphere are
American elm (Ulmus americana)
Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
Both American elm and eastern red cedar begin pollinating in February and often reach their seasonal peak during the end of February or early March. The start date of the pollen season is highly variable and relates to the winter weather. Both species need a period of warm-up after winter dormancy. These plants are major spring pollen producers and are in the top ten in terms of yearly abundance.
The day to day release of pollen is also weather dependent. During February cold wintery weather is common, and this will shut down pollen release.