It's Not Tree Sap That's Ruining Your Car, It's Bug Poop

Flowering of the jacaranda tree seen from the Triana Bridge on March 10, 2024, in Seville (Andalusia, Spain). The jacaranda is a typical tree in Seville whose flowering occurs twice a year, in autumn and spring.Photo: Maria Jose Lopez/Europa Press (Getty Images)

Los Angeles and most of Southern California is currently covered in light purple flowers from the Jacaranda tree, and 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. Jacaranda trees are not native to Southern California, they are actually native to Argentina and Brazil, but thrive in California’s Mediterranean climate.

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Around the turn of the 20th century, a San Diego nursery owner and plant enthusiast named Kate Sessions was widely credited with introducing the Jacaranda to California, along with other now common plants like Birds of Paradise, Poinsettia, and Bougainvillea. These pretty purple petals play a big role in the tree life in SoCal, and car enthusiasts know that parking under a Jacaranda is a death sentence for your clean car’s paint. As it turns out, the Jacaranda’s car crippling reputation isn’t the plant’s fault at all, it can be attributed to aphid waste. The Los Angeles Times reported,

“Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but that sticky stuff isn’t nectar or sap. It’s aphid waste. According to [horticulturist David] Lofgren, jacarandas are a favorite luncheon spot for millions of hungry aphids. They have to suck a lot of useless carbohydrates out of the flower nectar to get enough protein to keep their little brains sparking, and excrete whatever they don’t need through a “tiny spigot in their gut,” Lofgren said. Some PR agent for the Aphid Protective League long ago named this stuff “honeydew.” Ants adore honeydew, and protect aphids from such predators as ladybugs and parasitic wasps by stroking their backs like affectionate bodyguards.”

If you are unfortunate enough to park your precious car under a Jacaranda tree when it’s in bloom, there are some ways to rid your car of the sticky mess that’ll inevitably engulf it. LAist says that bug remover can usually get rid of the stickiness once it’s baked onto your car, or if its baked onto your sidewalk or even your shoes. If you are frequently forced to park under a Jacaranda, keep your car topped off with windshield wiper fluid with bug remover to get those infuriating droplets off your windshield. So next time you find yourself marveling at the lovely lavender colored foliage creating a canopy above your head, you have a fun and mildly disgusting fact to share with your friends. Happy summer, SoCal!