Pollen Counts and Pitches

Spring means many things to different people. Whether you’re sneezy, dopey or sporty, it’s the season for blossoms, chew, cut grass and corsages.

Our recent rains have helped bring fields of wildflowers back to life. The trick is knowing where to look and where to figure out what you’re looking at. A good start is https://totalescape.com/active/leisure/wildflwr.html, which has information on where to find choice areas and what to expect to see. At https://www.desertusa.com/wildflo/wildupdates.html, you’ll find updates on the various areas blooming with desert flowers. It includes pictures and several assessments of plant development. The site also provides a flower and plant guide so you know when you’re seeing a bastard toadflax.

At https://www.gorp.com/gorp/activity/hiking/features/topten_summerbloom.htm, you’ll find a list of the top 10 U.S. parks in which to see wildflowers. And while you’re planning your trek to the center of the pollen world, you might try to stem potential problems by checking https://weather.yahoo.com/graphics/pollen/US.html before you leave. It indicates where the sniffle hot spots are around the country. Another place to check is https://www.pollen.com/pollen.com.asp, where you can plug in your ZIP code for a report. It offers a complete glossary of information about pollen and periods of peak activity and coverage.

Speaking of coverage, or lack of it by some parents’ assessment, at high schools across the country, everything’s coming up taffeta. It’ll soon be time for prom and all the drama that comes with it. For help with this aspect of spring fever, teens can click on https://www.react.com/useful_stuff/prom/how.html for advice on stuff such as developing a prom look. Also, https://www.teen.com/spotlight/prom/prom.html and https://www.yourprom.com offer some decent suggestions for Daddy’s little girl.

Another sight that can bring tears to a grown man’s eyes are the words “Play ball!” For the skinny on how the teams are shaping up this year, check out Major League Baseball’s site at https://www.mlb.com. There are tons of other sites for baseball fans. Another place to start is https://sports.yahoo.com.

Those who favor a different field of dreams--and more intimidating projectiles--can check out https://www.trackandfield.com/content/links/links.asp for news and articles about track and field events and athletes.

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Michelle Maltais is a broadcast producer and copy editor at The Times.