Los Angeles and most of the South California is currently covered with light purple flowers from the Jacaranda treeAnd Car lovers know to keep their cars away from these flowers like the plague, but I just learned that it’s not the tree’s fault. The Jacaranda tree is not native to Southern CaliforniaThey are actually native to Argentina and Brazil, but thrive in of California Mediterranean climate.
Around the turn of the 20th century, a San Diego nursery owner and plant enthusiast named Kate Sessions is widely credited with introducing the Jacaranda to people. California, along with today’s popular plants such as Bird of Paradise, Poinsettia and Bougainvillea. These beautiful purple petals play an important role in the tree life of SoCal, and car enthusiasts know that parking under a Jacaranda tree is a death sentence for your car’s clean paint job. . As it turns out, the Jacaranda’s car-crippling reputation wasn’t the factory’s fault at all, but could have been caused by bedbug waste. The Los Angeles Times reported,
“Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but that sticky stuff isn’t nectar or tree sap. It’s bedbug waste. Based on [horticulturist David] Lofgren, jacarandas are a favorite lunch spot for millions of hungry bedbugs. They have to suck a lot of useless carbohydrates out of the nectar to get enough protein to keep their little brains active and excrete anything they don’t need through a “little tap in their gut,” Lofgren said. . Some PR people at the Bed Bug Protection League have long since dubbed this stuff “honey.” Ants love honeydew and protect aphids from predators like ladybugs and parasitic wasps by caressing their backs like affectionate bodyguards.”
If you are unlucky enough to park your precious car under a Jacaranda tree tree When the flowers are in full bloom, there are several ways to remove the mud from your car that will inevitably drown it. LAist says that insecticides can often remove the stickiness when it is baked on your car or if it is baked on the sidewalk or even your shoes. If you’re often forced to park under a Jacaranda tree, fill your car with windshield cleaner and insect repellant to remove those nasty droplets from your windshield. So the next time you find yourself marveling at the lovely lavender foliage that forms a canopy overhead, you’ll have an interesting and slightly disgusting fact to share with your friends. Have a great summer, SoCal!
