Recognise ragweed - report the location and support allergy sufferers!
Ragweed(Ambrosia artemisiifolia) is currently sprouting in fields and along roadsides. This plant, which is also known colloquially as ragweed, is a neophyte. This means that it only arrived in Europe after the discovery of America by Columbus. Unfortunately for many allergy sufferers, ragweed pollen is highly allergenic. Even fewer than 5 pollen grains per cubic metre of air can cause symptoms in sensitised allergy sufferers.
The plant is mainly found in south-eastern parts of Austria, i.e. in Burgenland and southern Styria, but also in Lower Austria and Carinthia. There, ragweed is usually in flower from August onwards and causes very high pollen concentrations in the ambient air. However, ragweed can now also be found in the other federal states, although not yet in such high concentrations!
If you discover populations of this neophyte during outdoor activities, you can report them via our citizen science project Ragweed Finder. Every report received via this system includes a photo of the plant as well as the location where it was found. An expert examines the image and verifies or rejects the report.
So far, we have received over 450 verified ragweed reports in 2025, which can be viewed on the ragweed map. Every report you submit makes a valuable contribution to this project. On the one hand, you are supporting affected allergy sufferers, who can thus avoid suspected ragweed hotspots. On the other hand, every verified report is forwarded to the responsible authorities of the respective state government. They can then use the information to organise any mowing work in good time. If you report findings now, it is sometimes possible to take appropriate steps before the pollen is ready to flower and thus prevent the release of pollen.
With your support, you can not only make life easier for many allergy sufferers in late summer, but also help to raise awareness of this problem among political decision-makers. This has already paid off in Burgenland, where the Burgenland Ragweed Control Act was passed in 2021. With your support, it will also be possible to realise this in other federal states. To date, there is no legal obligation to report or remove ragweed in Austria.
The Ragweed Finder team would like to thank all Citizen Scientists who have already supported this system so actively. In order to receive as many reports as possible this year, we would like to offer you a little incentive: The three top reporters of the year will be rewarded with a 100-euro voucher from Pluxee (formerly Sodexo) after the end of the 2025 ragweed pollen season.
(Legal recourse excluded)
You can report findings either via the app (for Android and iOS) or on the website. There you will also find information about ragweed findings in previous years, how to recognise ragweed and useful practical tips on ragweed control.
The following partner institutions and state governments support us in the fight against ragweed: State Government of Burgenland, State Government of Lower Austria, State Government of Salzburg, State Government of Styria, State Government of Tyrol, State Government of Vorarlberg, State Government of Vienna, University of Innsbruck, Haus der Natur Salzburg, Salzburg Botanical Consortium, ÖBB INFRA, INTERREG.
