Turn right off Xianyin Bei Lu that leads to the Yadong area of Xianlin, just before and after the entrance to the gated community Royal Family Gardens that is popular with expats, and flanking you either side of the avenue are huge trees that, yes, provide shade for the summer, but also very annoyingly, attack us unsuspecting humans with their little white fluff in the spring, fluff which also goes by its real name, catkins.
These trees are not only found to be found in Xianlin but in many parts of Nanjing, especially along large avenues. The trees were strategically placed in order to keep the streets shaded during Nanjing’s infamous hot summers. The Nanjinger, almost a year ago to the day, investigated these beautiful, yet pesky saviours from the sun, after the Nanjing government issued its first warning of the year against Platanus Orientalis Catkins.
Oak pollen, in other words, falls from February to May, and even those who do not usually suffer from spring allergies can be affected by this silent but deadly flying fluff. During these days, masks and glasses are needed to prevent sore throats, stinging eyes and itchy skin, and for those poor with allergies out there; spring is simply hell.
This year, we find that not only are catkins the cause of our sneezing and sniffling, but that a tiny, white, fluffy insect is also at play, hitching itself a ride on the catkins. While this minuscule creature will not penetrate the skin, therefore not causing any harm, it can however, irritate our very sensitive human nose. As reported by the Yangtze Evening News it, “mainly damages the leaves of eucalyptus trees and extracts the sap, and from late May to early June, winged females grow and move to corn roots to breed”.
So along with the white flocs of pollen, insects and critters are also falling from our beloved French Plane trees during Nanjing’s most pleasant springtime. Beware, and stroll prepared.
