You might have seen it – seemingly everywhere in some places – around central Ohio: Little bits of "fluff," white as snow, drifting down from the heavens or swirling in a light breeze.
The “fluff” is from cottonwood trees, a type of poplar common throughout Ohio.
Some observers say the scattering of the fuzz, which carries sesame-sized seeds to the ground, seems worse than usual this year.
It’s difficult to say, said Chad Hoff, an arborist for Columbus, but a cold and wet April followed by an unseasonably warm May created the right conditions for cottonwood trees to pollinate.
Relief is coming soon because only a few days or a week remain for cottonwood season, Hoff said.
The stuff is mostly harmless, but it can be a nuisance, he said, as it clusters, often on screens or on cars.
“They can be problematic and cause some inefficiencies with your air conditioning,” Hoff said.
Some areas are unaffected by the fibrous plumes because cottonwood trees are more common in wet areas, such as floodplains and the edges of rivers and lakes, he said.
Cottonwoods are not strong trees and have difficulty germinating in areas that aren’t conducive to their growth, Hoff said. The seeds don’t generally penetrate mulch and if they do take root, one pass of the lawn mower usually will put an end to a sapling, he said. Male trees produce pollen and female trees produce seeds.
Dr. Kara Wada, an allergist, immunologist and assistant professor at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, said cottonwood fuzz is not a known allergen.
“The fluff that we see in the air is a harbinger for tree pollen, including cottonwood pollen, that we can’t see,” Wada said.
However, it can be an irritant if it comes into contact with nasal membranes, eyes or lungs, if inhaled, she said.
Tree-pollination season “will wrap up shortly,” Wada said. It is different from the grass-allergy season, which will persist all summer, she said, and the fall, when other allergens will be released into the air, igniting new allergic responses from allergy sufferers.
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