This is another photo I took through the microscope. It is a grain of pollen. Why does it have all the tiny spines?
Answer:
This grain of pollen is from a hollyhock flower. The spines help the pollen stick to insects and other creatures that visit the flower. Flowers that are pollinated by insects tend to be much spinier than those that are pollinated by wind or other methods. Since most pollen allergies are caused by wind-blown pollen, your allergies are likely to be caused by less spiky pollen.
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