In May and June each year, during the peak of the pollen season, Environment Canada receives numerous calls from citizens concerned about the yellow dust they see covering cars, floating on lakes and harbours, and seemingly blanketing their community. What they are encountering, however, is pollen.
Pollen is a natural substance.
It consists of tiny grains which carry the male genetic material during pollination, the reproduction process of flowering and cone bearing plants. Most pollination is carried out by the wind and by insects transporting these specialized cells between plants. Pollen is in the air year-round, but the concentration is highest during the growing season, from March to the killing frost in the fall. This fact is well known to the many Canadians with allergies who suffer through the annual hay fever season. To the naked eye, pollen looks like tiny specks of yellow powder or dust.