Ragweed Day- August 15th, 2010

Today is Ragweed Day- I am not sure where this originated, but August 15th is the official start of Ragweed season. I am not much for predictions, however this has been quite a year for nature. The Indianapolis Star noted that Indiana will once again have a great harvest of its crops this year. On our 5 acres in Westfield, I have noted significant growth in our plants and trees- the flora has been quite lush. I have also see a significant growth of ragweed.

I swear that I have not been cultivating ragweed. It grows naturally and loves fields, upturned sole, the sides of the road and developing land. Some of our Giant Ragweed plants are more that 9 feet tall! It is a bumper crop this year.

Giant ragweed has a very typical leave and those large anthers (?) from which that yellow pollen falls and becomes airborn. The species is called ambrosia- for those allergic to ragwee, truly not a drink of the gods but a real source of respiratory and ocular misery.

Short ragweed is the most problematic for allergic individuals. The specific proteins in each species does vary, but they do share a number of allergenic proteins.