PERFUME: The National Park Service’s social media content creator is a genius. Every day, messages are shared about wildlife and natural resources, along with messages of safety — but in funny ways that make people take notice. Here, for instance, they’re talking about everyone’s least favorite perfume — eau de skunk.

“Love is in the air.

“Wait, there’s something else. It’s skunk mating season. You may be more likely to see (or smell) a skunk this time of year. Roughly two months long, mating season begins in February and ends in March. As always, give wildlife the space it needs.

“What if I get too close? It’s a common misconception that skunks spray all the time. In reality, they only use the spray as a last resort when they feel they have exhausted all other defense mechanisms. If someone is bold enough to threaten them, either by getting too close on a trail or sending another ‘per my last email’ message, the skunk’s first instinct is usually to run away while grumbling. If that doesn’t work, it will turn around, raise its tail as a warning, stomp its front feet and yell out insults. Your father smelt of elderberries! (Could also be sent via email.) If this still doesn’t work, (geez, take a hint) the skunk will deploy the spray.

“What’s that smell? The primary stinky compounds in skunk perfume are thiols and thioacetates, both rich in sulfur—the same element that makes rotten eggs so pungent. Nice.

“That’s our time for today. Smell ya later.

“P. S. Baby skunks can spray from the time they’re born and have been reported to spray each other for fun—stink-bombing a mate and then running away. So, immature, right?”