My love/hate relationship with pollen
I appreciate pollen and its role in keeping the earth thriving with plants, trees, grasses, fruits, vegetables. Flowers. Lots and lots of intricate, beautiful flowers. And let’s not forget the good ol’ Musa acuminata, progenitor of crunchy ‘nanas everywhere.
Today, I watched a bee climb into a poppy with a big orange glob of pollen stuck to its back. It made me happy to see nature in action. But, my eyes have just reminded me. It has been three years since they have been immersed in the Californian springtime in all its hayfever-y, big, orange globular pollen-y, allegric reaction-y glory. (Despite massive fields of oilseed rape painting the English countryside bright yellow, I haven’t had many problems with allergies this year.)
My eyes and pollen, they don’t get on.
Clearly.