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April temperatures have been rising in Central Virginia, and the month’s average of 62.6 degrees in 2017 was the highest in the past century. Warmer temperatures affect pollen production. At Allergy Partners of Richmond on Forest Avenue, Rebecca Collie — aka The Pollen Lady — has been collecting and counting pollen since 1988. She says she’s been seeing earlier peaks of tree pollen and longer grass pollen seasons in recent years. Though the data collection started as a service for patients, she says, “It’s kind of turning into a science project because there’s so much data.”
Sources: Science Museum of Virginia, Allergy Partners of Richmond, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
