What Causes The Unpleasant Spring Smells In Lubbock?

I recently came across a post about Lubbock asking a totally fair question, and one that tends to be asked every early Spring:

Sooo....why it smell like pee everywhere outside?? This is new to me.

Why Does Lubbock Stink In Early Spring?

The most usual suspects are botanical in nature. Certain trees, like the Bradford pear, smell absolutely terrible when they bloom. This is because their main pollinator is FLIES (eww!), and flies love things that smell rotten. Bradford pears are honestly terrible trees in Lubbock all around, not only because of the stench, but because they are highly invasive, weak-wooded, and have a short life span. Really just a waste.

The blossoms are pretty, though.

Photo by Johnny Brewer on Unsplash

Other potentially stinky plants include types of shrubs and bushes. One commentator says their boxwoods smell like urine, and another complained about juniper (personally, I like the smell of juniper; it smells like gin!).

Gross! A Look At Why Some Lubbock Trees So Incredibly Stinky

Recent Rains May Be To Blame

Most rain smells are very good, and the human olfactory system is absolutely incredible at picking them up. Most people find peticor, geosmin, and ozone to be refreshing, myself included. However, right after the rain, there's plenty of mustiness and molds that bloom that can stink.

Nearby Feral Cat Colonies

It's kitten season! Meaning that if you have a nearby feral cat colony with unaltered males...well, they are spraying and it smells absolutely terrible. Many folks in Lubbock have gone to heroic efforts to capture and neuter/ spay cats from these feral colonies to keep their numbers down; however, there's still a lot of work to be done.

Feedlots

Feedlots are luckily moving further and further away from town, but the West Texas winds have nothing to block them usually, meaning we can pick up smells from miles away.