Pollen count calendar 2023: what blooms when - information for the whole year

Coughing, sneezing, itching: millions of people suffer from hay fever.

When does what bloom?

The pollen calendar has hardly any white spots.

An overview for allergy sufferers.

Hamm – Pollen is tiny, but it has a major impact on the well-being and health of millions of people in Germany.

A runny nose, coughing, itchy eyes, neurodermatitis and breathing problems are just a few of the symptoms that allergy sufferers have to deal with every year.

Allergy to pollen: grasses, birch, hazel, ragweed - when does what bloom?

Pollen allergies are a widespread disease.

It is estimated that a third of all adults in Germany are now affected.

The number of allergy sufferers who react to pollen from grass, birch, hazel, ragweed or other plants has increased significantly over the past 20 years.

And there will be more.

The reason: the pollen flight time is getting longer and the pollen are becoming more and more aggressive.

The bad thing about hay fever: In contrast to a food allergy, for example, pollen can hardly be avoided.

Many of them begin to fly as soon as the spring weather and temperatures become pleasant.

Allergy sufferers always look forward to the beautiful season with mixed feelings.

In late autumn and winter, the pollen count is weaker, but people who are sensitive to hazel and alder know: the pollen is there even when nature seems to be taking a break.

Allergy to pollen: hardly a month's rest for allergy sufferers

There are hardly any white spots in the pollen count calendar for Germany.

But when does which pollen actually fly?

When is the allergy burden the highest?

This is shown in this overview* (the main flowering times with high pollen count are highlighted):

• January: hazel, alder, cypress depending on the region

• February: 

  hazel

  , 

  alder

  , willow, cypress

• March:

  hazel

  , 

  alder

  , willow, poplar, elm, birch, hornbeam, ash, yew, conifers, cypress, larch, rarely thuja, rarely grasses

• April: 

  birch

  ,

  ash

  , hop beech, beech, oak, maple, elm, horse chestnut, rarely willow, poplar, grass, conifers such as yew, pine, Douglas fir, juniper, cypress, thuja

• May:

  Birch

  , 

  grass

  , hop beech, beech, oak, ash, olive (olive tree), sycamore, maple, horse chestnut, willow, rye, nettle, knotweed, plantain, conifers such as pine, spruce, fir, larch, Douglas fir, juniper, thuja , false cypress

• June: 

  Grasses

  , rye, birch, hornbeam, sweet chestnut, olive tree, linden, rye, nettle, knotweed, plantain, conifers such as pine, spruce, fir, juniper, rarely mugwort

• July: 

  Grasses

  , 

  mugwort

  , sweet chestnut, linden, stinging nettle, knotweed, goosefoot, plantain, rarely ambrosia

• August: 

  mugwort

  , 

  ragweed

  , grasses, nettle, knotweed, goosefoot, plantain

• September: 

  mugwort

  , 

  ragweed

  , grasses, nettle, goosefoot, knotweed, plantain, cedar

• October: grasses, mugwort, ragweed, nettle, knotweed, cedar

• November: Rarely still grass, mugwort, nettle

• December: hazel, alder

*

Allergy to pollen: grasses fly from March to October

Not every allergy is equally widespread.

Grasses and birches are responsible for the most common pollen allergies.

Another reason why grass pollen is such a big nuisance is that it flies over many months, from March to October.

The highest load occurs in June.

The ten most common allergies: from hay fever and gluten intolerance to fragrance and sun allergies

The ten most common allergies: from hay fever and gluten intolerance to fragrance and sun allergies

Birch pollen, which is carried by the wind up to 300 kilometers, is considered particularly unpleasant.

Birch pollen is available between March and early June.

The peak of the pollen flight is in April.

Hazel and alder, which can fly even in the winter months at temperatures above 5 degrees, are also highly allergenic plants.

Allergy to pollen: April is the worst time for birch trees

Mugwort and ragweed pollen are also common allergy triggers.

The flowering period of the two plants is similar, namely from June to October.

The worst time for allergy sufferers is August.

From October, pollen allergy sufferers slowly come to rest, but only for two or three months.

In January, sometimes even in December, the hazel and alder pollen starts to fly - and with it the health problems for many people.

Hay fever is not always behind a runny nose.

This also occurs in some people after drinking alcohol - with some types more, with others less.

The symptoms of Corona are also similar to those of hay fever.

It is all the more important to interpret them correctly.

Allergy to pollen: The milder the winter, the earlier the pollen fly

The flowering times of the pollen species shift from year to year depending on the weather and temperature.

Rule of thumb: The colder the winter, the later the pollen count of the early bloomers starts.

After exceptional winters with many frosty days and snow, the first pollen will be in the air in mid-March at the earliest.

The pollen count calendar shows the pollen count of the individual plants using the mean of the past few years.

The pollen flight is not "switched on".

It starts with the pre-flowering, goes on to the main flowering and ends with the post-flowering.

The pollen load for allergy sufferers is greatest in the main flower of a plant.

The period of the pollen flight is not the same everywhere in Germany.

It starts earlier in warmer regions than in cooler mountainous or coastal regions.

List of rubrics: © Arno Burgi/dpa