We’ve been pollinated. On the heels of a long-lasting winter that seems as if it’s skipping spring and heading directly into summer, trees are letting out their store of pollen.

According to local measurement, the most active pollen-releasing trees in the area are oak and pine. Over the next few days, that activity is going to increase. According to the website Weather.com, Washington, Aurora, Bath and Chocowinity are headed for very high pollen counts over the weekend, while Belhaven will supposedly be receiving high counts of their own.

Itchy eyes, congestion, sneezing, coughing, even the bags under your eyes over the next few days can be chalked up to the reproductive cycles of our local flora. With clouds of pollen drifting across eastern North Carolina, there really seems to be no way to avoid it entirely. There are some strategies to lessen the effects, however.

According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, pollen levels are typically highest in the early morning, between 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., so it follows that avoiding outdoor activities in the morning may help alleviate some symptoms. Keeping windows closed and avoiding wearing clothes dried on clotheslines are other ways to stay a little more pollen free. Of course, allergy medicine always works too.

Interestingly enough, while everything within sight is coated with a fine yellow powder of pine pollen, the real culprit behind that sneezing fit just may be oak pollen. According to ACAAI, pine allergies are less common than oak.

Just keep in mind, as you scrape crusted pine pollen off your windshield, and feel it coat any exposed skin as you take an outdoor stroll, that despite the runny noses and that itchy feeling at the back of your throat, this too shall pass. It’s the one drawback to emerging from a long, unseasonably cold winter into the colorful warmth of spring/summer.