Street Smell Like Rotten Fish? Blame The Pretty Trees

Over the weekend, my husband walked in from the backyard and announced that something must have died under the staircase, because it smelled rancid outside. Of course, I had to go out for a sniff, and sure enough, there was an unmistakable rotten fish odor floating in the wind.

We slowly pulled everything out from under the porch, fully expecting to discover some decomposing critter (or two, or three…the smell was wicked), but found nothing.

It wasn’t until a few hours later, when our son ran in with some “pretty flowers,” that we discovered the culprit: the neighbor’s Callery Pear tree.

According to a 2013 article by Business Insider, the springtime smell (which has also been likened to a particular bodily fluid) is likely the result of two chemicals called trimethylamine and dimethylamine, and is produced to attract flies that will help spread the plant’s pollin.

The good news? The smell should dissipate in the next few weeks. In the meantime, don’t go around cursing the neighbors for illicit activities in the street, or for tossing out barrels full of rotten seafood. The olfactory assault you’re experiencing is all because of the pretty trees.