We're nearly there!
As I write this it is another gloomy March day, but Spring Equinox is a few days away and there's 80 degrees on the weather forecast. Pine pollen will be flying soon!
I was checking the Ghost pine trees yesterday and the male pollen catkins are starting to plump up. It only takes a couple of warm days to dry out the catkin and release all that glorious gold powder into the air.
This time of year, it is crucial for me to check the trees regularly and catch the pollen right before it flies off. As the pine pollen begins to ripen an individual tree will have about 3 days of releasing its pollen. The morning sun side of the tree ripens first and the ripening works its way around the tree to the afternoon sun side. In a given grove there are trees that ripen early and some that ripen later. Each grove releases its pollen for about 7 to 10 days, but by the end of that period there isn't much left, so it is essential that I capture the peak within the first 3 to 5 days.
After I 've harvested as much as I can from one grove I head up in elevation where trees are just a little bit behind the lower trees. I call it chasing spring uphill!
In total, the Ghost pine harvest window lasts for about 2 to 3 weeks and spans elevations from 200' to 3500' above sea-level. The season comes and goes fast! Blink and you miss it.
Fortunately, we're blessed with lots of pine trees here in northern California, and we have Ponderosa and Lodgepole pollen seasons to look forward to in June.