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24
Jun 2021
Is Harrogate's rewilding experiment increasing hay fever?
Harrogate Borough Council's rewilding to encourage bees and other wildlife has delighted many in the district this summer.
But one group of long-suffering residents believe it could be exacerbating their hay fever.
The pollen count has been at its mid-summer peak recently, especially on warmer days.
Many areas of the district, including parts of the Stray, have been left to grow wild, resulting in more pollen than in previous years.
Stray Ferret reader Clare Winsor got in touch to say she suspects her family's recent bouts of hay fever could be related to the longer grass and wildflowers.
She said:
Fellow hay fever sufferer Sophie McCallum also believes the longer grass is "definitely making it worse".
She told the Stray Ferret:
Read more:
- Harrogate’s ‘rewilding’: untidy or biodiversity boon?
- Harrogate district’s wild grass verges continue to divide opinion
However, some experts believe lockdown, rather than longer grass and wildflowers, could be a contributing factor because people are spending more time indoors.
Dr Naveen Puri, associate clinical director at Bupa Health Clinics, told Cosmopolitan magazine:
One Harrogate resident, Jerry Smith, playfully dismissed the claim that wildflowers increased hay fever and said he's looking at the bigger picture.
He said:
A council spokesman said:
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