Ragweed sightings are spiking, and so is pollen season
iNaturalist Community
Invasive Species
That itchy-eyed, sneezy feeling on your evening walk is probably ragweed, and this surge in sightings means it's flowering hard in yards, roadsides, and vacant lots near you.
Common ragweed is one of the most-logged plants on iNaturalist this week, with 722 confirmed sightings from people out in their neighborhoods. This weedy plant is famous for its pollen, which is a leading cause of late-summer and fall allergies. Seeing a spike like this on a citizen-science app is basically a real-time map of where hay fever season is kicking into gear.
Key Findings
1
722 research-grade observations of common ragweed logged on iNaturalist in a single week
2
Ambrosia artemisiifolia ranked among the top trending species on the platform this week
3
Timing (mid-August) aligns with peak ragweed pollen production in much of North America
chevron_right
Technical Summary
Common ragweed is having a huge week on iNaturalist, with 722 people logging research-grade sightings. It's a signal that allergy-triggering pollen season is ramping up across the country right now.
description
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia) — 722 observations this week
common ragweed is among the most observed plant species this week with 722 research-grade observations.
Ambrosia artemisiifolia, with the common names common ragweed, annual ragweed, and low ragweed, is a species of the genus Ambrosia native to regions of the Americas.
