Two weekends ago I went to a field that I visit at least once a month and look what I found.
Goldenrods! What a shock. They were in full bloom and one month early. Goldenrods tell us that autumn is here. What?!?! We had a late spring and now we are going to have an early autumn? Please say it isn't so! I walked around for about an hour hoping to find some butterflies, but no luck. I then went to a park and what did I find there?
Hundreds of Black-eyed Susans!
This is only half of the row because I couldn't get all of them in one photo. I walked up and down the row for over an hour taking photos of butterflies, bees, wasps and other insects who were in a frenzy collecting pollen as if it was their last meal. Another sign of an early autumn? Please say it isn't so! Can you tell I hate cold weather?
Bumble Bee
It isn't easy to get clear photos when the wind is blowing the flowers all around.
I will be showing photos from that day as I continue my story.
Black Wasp
When I got back home I started sneezing and had a runny nose. By the time I went to bed I felt like I was coming down with a bad cold. When my head hit the pillow I started to cough. I woke up at 4:00 A.M. and there was so much pressure in my forehead that I thought my head was going to explode. "It must be those damn goldenrods." I don't have seasonal allergies but I read that goldenrods can give anyone problems.
I took some pills for my pounding head and only slept for another hour. My head was still pounding and now my head felt like it was under water, and I had pain in my inner ear. Taking allergy pills didn't help and I continued to get worse during the week.
Blue-winged Wasp
Abdomen of Blue-winged Wasp
By Friday morning, my throat felt like it was closing up, I had a cough and my chest felt congested. There was so much pressure in my head, my ear was hurting so bad, and it felt like liquid was coming out of my ear. I touched my ear with my finger and there was blood. OK. Time to call the doctor. He was not in and no other doctors could see me, so they told me to go to urgent care. While telling the doctor about my outing I remembered it was very windy that day. I must have gotten a triple dose of pollen from the wind.
Yay! A Monarch butterfly!
After the exam, the doctor told me that I had severe allergies. He put me on steroids and said they would help me feel better quickly. I didn't begin to feel better until Tuesday. I have one more day left of steroid pills and I still don't feel very good. The pain in my ear is gone, my throat doesn't feel swollen and I have stopped coughing. All of that is good but I started sneezing again tonight and as I am doing this post, I feel pressure in my head.
Just be aware that there are plants this time of year that can cause you problems, even if you do not have seasonal allergies.
I have many more photos of different insects from that pollen filled day but I will have to post them another time. At least you were able to walk with me without getting pollen on you.
All photos are my own.
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