In May 2020, a video supposedly showing a line of fire burning across a field was widely shared on social media. On the Nature is Fucking Lit section of Reddit, this video was shared with the caption: “Poplar fluff burning in Spain.”

This “fluff” is actually poplar seeds that are produced by the female trees of the species, but it’s not the fluff or the seeds that are making you sneeze. Most allergists agree that the real culprits are native grasses and other plants that are flowering just as the poplars are seeding. Poplar trees do create pollen, but it is produced by the male tree in early spring, long before fluff season. Cutting down the female trees won’t cure your pollen allergy.

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