Allergy Aggravating Clouds?

Right at the edge of the marsh stands a neat little bush that I love...Mark hates!  This bush is not a problem for him except when its branches flop over onto the pier and hinders his walk down to the boat.  Another slight problem is its seeds.  These seeds are not the sticky kind that attach themselves to your very being but rather the poofy kind that will float around in the air like tiny feathers.  They blow everywhere given the slightest breeze.  I believe these little, floaty seeds are one of the causes of his occasional sneezing attacks when he is out and about.  Once in a Blue Moon, he has problems with something in the air and I have no doubts that my little bush is the culprit!

 

The bush in question is the Groundsel Bush or Sea Myrtle.  It is a smallish shrub that has no problem growing  in the marsh with its roots right smack dab in the brackish water.  There it seems to flourish or at least the ones here do.  I like the bush as it adds a bit of happiness to the otherwise drab colors of the marsh.  The white blooms burst forth in midsummer and last until early fall.  Then the flowers turn to seed pods that seemingly spew out millions of fluffy white tidbits.  When there is even the slightest of southerly breezes, the hillside is awash in fluff.  It is everywhere!  I used to worry constantly that these were bugs but I have come to realize that most of the bugs that swarm like this, do so in the early summer.   My fluff is just that..fluff!  Granted that fluff is probably spawning thousands upon thousands of other Groundsel bushes all over the hillside but still the cloud of white is pretty in a strange sort of way.

Today when we were headed to the pier, Ms. Ez decided it would be most fun to pounce on the bush.  She did..the cloud arose..she had a sneezing fit!  What fun!  The bush poofed out a cloud of seeds!  The hillside was white.  Ezzy sneezed and sneezed.  I laughed and laughed!  I do believe that Ms. Ez learned a lesson about pouncing on fluffy bushes!  Still tonight, she is having sneezing attacks.  The pollen evidently is in her fur and as she snoozes it softly lands about her.  Ahhhh  Choooo!  She then stands up, bewildered and wildly thrashes her head.  My dog has allergies! I guess if this keeps up, I will give her one of her pills and hope for a quiet night.  Poor Ez!