Creosote branch
A monsoon storm in the palm of your hand
Everyone, seemingly, likes the aroma of creosote, sometimes called greasewood or chaparral. “I wish I could bottle the smell,” says Star reader Zachary Breece.
The Creosote Council, a group representing the industries that protect railroad ties and other wood products from decay, credits the odor to naphthalene, an organic compound that gives off intense aromas even at low concentrations. Tucsonans recognize it as the fresh scent that follows — even precedes — the monsoon storms that typically start arriving in July. The wait can be hard. The remedy, in these parched days before the rains come, is to snap off a sprig, rub its waxy leaves between your fingers, inhale deeply and imagine the sound of thunder.
