North Carolina’s Allergy Sufferers are Being Terrorized by a “Pollenpocalypse”

As someone who dreads the coming of spring every year because of my seasonal allergies, I can’t even imagine how terrifying this “pollenpocalypse” must be to allergy-suffering residents of North Carolina.

Seriously, these photos look like still shots from a science fiction movie where an evil yellow dust coats the Earth and monsters grow out of the ground…or something like that.

Facebook user Jeremy Gilchrist shared the following pics from Durham, NC, to show just how extreme the pollenpocalypse is right now. He said, “No tricks here. Yes you are looking at a green haze made up of tree pollen from the pines of central NC! This is Durham: #ThePollening #Pollen #Pollmageddon.”

Posted by Jeremy Gilchrist on Monday, April 8, 2019

Posted by Jeremy Gilchrist on Monday, April 8, 2019

The high pollen counts in North Carolina are a result of trees mating because of the warmer weather. On the day Gilchrist posted these photos, the pollen count for nearby Raleigh was more than 2,500 pollen grains per cubic meter.

Peak pollen season in North Carolina usually sees a rate of between 1,000-1,500 grains per cubic meter, so the recent counts have truly been off the charts.

Posted by Jeremy Gilchrist on Monday, April 8, 2019

Some researchers believe that climate change plays a role in this kind of extreme pollen episode, as warmer weather last longer and plants have more time to give off pollen.

If you’re an allergy sufferer, you might have a long spring and summer (and maybe fall) in store for you.

Bless you!

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5 Flowers That Are As Deadly As They Are Beautiful

Everybody loves flowers right? They’re pretty, they smell good and they liven up our living spaces.

Well, some of them definitely don’t love us back. In fact, they can be absolutely deadly.

Recently we looked at 5 Flowers That Would Straight up Kill You If They Had a Chance. Guess what? We’ve found five more.

So spend some time learning about this quintet of bad-ass blossoms so they don’t put you in an early grave.

1. Lilies

Photo Credit: iStock

Lilies originated in Japan and are a wildly popular flower across the world. Because of that popularity, they not only come in many different varieties, but some flowers that are called lilies actually aren’t. Like daylily, water lily, and calla lily.

Not all varieties of the lily are poisonous, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be cautious. And while some types can cause symptoms as minor as skin irritation, if you ingest something like the Zigadenus fremontii (star lily; pictured below) it can be fatal.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

In general, lilies are more toxic to house pets like cats, so you’ll want to check before you bring a blossom into your house.

2. Oleander

Photo Credit: iStock

Here’s a weird, wonderful fact about white oleander. It can cause your heart to slow down, but it can also be used to prevent heart failure. And it actually treats a variety of serious conditions like epilepsy and malaria.

But let’s just say you decide to go grab a handful of white oleander, stuff in your mouth and swallow – not a good idea, but let’s say it happens. What you should expect next are stomach pains, fainting, irregular heartbeat, stomach pain and complete disorientation.

So yeah, don’t do that. Because there are more than 300 varieties of oleander out there, and you just don’t need that trouble in your life.

3. Mistletoe

Photo Credit: iStock

So how did kissing underneath a toxic collection of berries become a thing? Blame the Greeks – the ancient Greeks. During the festival of Saturnalia, people kissed under the mistletoe because they believed it helped with fertility. The tradition was later carried into marriage ceremonies and then on to the rest of us.

The good news is that mistletoe is rarely fatal. The bad news is you still need to seek medical attention. Because symptoms like blurred vision, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and extreme drowsiness can and will occur.

4. Wisteria

Photo Credit: iStock

Ahhh Wisteria. It kind of looks like lilac’s evil, sexier cousin. It originated in China, Korea and Japan, slowly made its way to the U.S., and now can be found blooming all over the east coast in pink, purple, white or blue flowers.

So what happens if you eat it? Bad things. Especially if you munch on the super poisonous seeds.

Abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting are on the menu for starters. Then comes the depression of the central nervous system. And this is one plant you want to keep far away from cats and dogs, because every plant in the genus will fuck up your furry friends.

5. Belladonna

Photo Credit: iStock

This one originated in Europe, Southwest Asia, and Northwest Africa and goes by many names: Atropa belladonna, deadly nightshade, Devil’s cherries, or, quite simply, belladonna.

Naturally, if it’s on this list, it is not to be messed with because it’s absolutely filled with toxins. Eat just a few of the berries and you’ll start to get really thirsty, experience dry mouth and rashes will begin popping up.

And then the fun really starts.

Delirium sets in, your pupils dilate and your nerve endings will be paralyzed in the involuntary muscles of your body. That’s very bad because the involuntary muscles are the ones that are supposed to just function on their own. Like our stomach and intestines. And our blood vessels. And our heart.

Yikes!

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15+ Times Accidental Art Was Better Than Any Masterpiece

Artists can work for years to create the perfect piece, which probably means it’s super annoying when chance and nature combine to make something amazing at the drop of a hat.

But that doesn’t make it any less wonderful for the rest of us – evidenced by the 17 pieces of art below!

#1. Looks like an alien planet.

Blue with a touch of yellow from unstirredpaint

#2. Mother nature is crazy.

A tree pattern inside a tree

#3. It looks like a wedding dress for Elsa.

View post on imgur.com

#4. That pattern is to die for.

Morning frost looks like it’s painted. from mildlyinteresting

#5. This is what I imagine zombie hands to look like.

Fell asleep in the bath. Finger brains. from WTF

#6. Not a watercolor.

Oranges photographed through the glass panes of a greenhouse from AccidentalRenaissance

#7. Accidental magic.

Something bumped against a wall at work and made a painting of a snowy town. from mildlyinteresting

#8. What a cooperative kitty.

In cute cat news, my mom put up an Easter decal on our front door and it makes Gigi look like a Dr. Seuss character. from aww

#9. Scottish shadows.

Even the shadows in Scotland are plaid from pics

#10. How to make a coffee artist insane.

After I poured milk into my coffee, I found Snoopy on the doghouse under the moon from mildlyinteresting

#11. This always makes me smile.

Christmas lights under the snow from mildlyinteresting

#12. An explosion of inspiration.

Volcanic explosion on lid from unstirredpaint

#13. Legit amazing.

I dropped some water, opened the table extension to dry and a city landscape with temples and pinnacles appeared from mildlyinteresting

#14. A small price to pay.

A rock created bird shaped window art on my car. from mildlyinteresting

#15. It’s like a little fairy world.

PsBattle: This colony of moss growing inside a bike seat. from photoshopbattles

#16. A tree just made me cry.

The swirls on this log from mildlyinteresting

#17. It looks like someone wasted a case of ReddiWhip.

The snow has settled only on the outline of the bricks on my friends driveway. from mildlyinteresting

Personally, I’ll take my art whenever and however it happens!

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Massive Hermit Crab Uses a Doll’s Head for Its Shell, and It’s Insanely Creepy

Hermit crabs are fairly common, easy-to-care-for pets that you’ve likely seen in a child’s classroom or at your local pet store. Interestingly, hermit crabs are not actual crabs because they have soft, exposed abdomens that leave them vulnerable to predators. That’s why they’re always looking for a new shell to call home.

They move in and out of shells – usually sea snail shells – as they grow.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

The coconut crab differs from a regular hermit crab in two important ways: first, it’s quite large – it can grow up to three feet long and weigh nine pounds – and second, when it outgrows the largest shell it can find, it grows a shell of its own.

Isn’t nature weird?

Image Credit: Wikipedia

One particular coconut crab, though, isn’t going to be growing his own shell anytime soon, since he found a lovely (meaning totally creepy) discarded doll’s head to live in instead of a shell.

A redditor shared a photo of the crab found on Henderson Island. Part of the Pitcairn Islands, the remote Pacific spot is vulnerable to human litter (obviously).

Image Credit: Reddit

There’s just something about dolls that creep some people out (including me), but I suppose the crab is perfectly happy living inside one – maybe he even considers the eyes cool little peepholes?

Image Credit: Reddit

I have no idea what I’m talking about, but hey, there’s got to be some reason he likes it.

The photo is also making people recall the mutant Toy Story toy that was a doll’s head on top of a crab’s body. A strange coincidence to be sure.

Image Credit: Disney

Not as strange as reality, but close.

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