2 plant things

1:
Late this summer, the stickiness appeared beneath pecan trees. Sidewalks, grass, cars, dirt coated in a gluey film. If we left the outdoor furniture in the wrong spot, it could be irreversibly gross. A few people explained different causations for this sap-seeming drip to me, but none seemed entirely assured in their theorization. 

Turns out it is aphids excreting sugar sucked from the leaves of the pecan. The excretion is called honeydew. Yellow pecan aphids, not to be confused with black-margined aphids (check the wings), bite into the leaf epidermis, consuming intravenous nutrients and water, which they release after digestion onto the good Earth below. Pleasant. 

2:

I have a curious plant in my room. I bought it five years ago. Never once has a leaf on it died, never once a branch withered. It consistently sprouts new stalks that arch over the side of its pot. Many stems have become so old, adding greater volume each passing season, that they dip dangerously low, an inevitable snap awaiting if left to the forces of gravity. I had to tie bunches of them together vertically to foster healthy growth. Which, amazingly, appears unrestrained. 

The plant is called Zamioculcas, or ZZ plant. Apparently another name is Zanzibar gem. I like that this species is from East Africa, because that region is close to home. 

It takes an unbelievably small amount of care. I water it once every few weeks. I add soil once a year. I have it next to a large north-facing window. Its glossy green leaves and olive-colored branches keep multiplying.