The Alders are going Red!

For a few weeks now the alders (Alnus rubra) have slowly being intensifying their red colour when you view a stand from a distance.  It's sometimes a subtle change or one day you just notice the alders seem really red.  The red colour is due to the male catkins that are rapidly maturing right now.  We are getting very near pollination and this can be a bad season for people who are prone to allergies.  Red alder trees produce one of the worst forms of pollen for allergy sufferers, apparently bad enough the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology issued a special news alert before the Olympics to warn athletes that the Olympics in Vancouver were taking place at the peak of  tree season pollination and singled out the nasty nature of red alder pollen.  They were concerned there could be a shortage of allergy medications in Vancouver.  In case you haven't noticed we've got a lot of red alder in the Bella Coola Valley and a nice long windy trench to blow it up and down the valley to make sure everyone get's their fair share.  If you suffer from allergies - brace yourself, time is short.  Grizzly