We may have some answers about the pungent smell.
We live in Kuraby & we too have “the smell”. We have been in our house for 14 years & for the last 5-6 years have endured “the smell”.
Our conclusion is a large yucca in our back garden.
It is now a mature tree and releases this pungent smell, we assume, to attract a pollinator.
Through a series of eliminations, we believe the pollinator is a possum.
Until this year, we thought bats may have been the target. We have a lot of palms, mainly golden canes, also mature specimens, which produce large quantities of seed pods and are a big food source for both bats and possums.
But this year the bats have been sparse. We have possums visit our garden every night. We also have another variety of yucca, which doesn’t release any smell at all.
The smell is strong after the flowers have dropped and the seed pods are forming.
The duration of the smell always starts in October & varies in the month that it ceases. Last year, it was well into January. Other years, it is all over by December.
Our remedy. Each night we close every window & door, starting at 6pm. By 6.30pm, we have full smell and it lasts for at least an hour. Â Strong winds & or rain may result in no smell for that night.
Jenny Dunn,
via email.
