Random Ramblings

Sometime in the last few weeks, I think someone spilled some sugary drink near my plants. It got on my windowsill and also the plant containers and (here's the important bit) on some of the leaves. I didn't notice until today when I went to go water them. It looks like I now have tiny white flying bugs living on the leaves of my poinsettia and my african violet. I've cleaned up the flat surfaces and the pots as best I can, but how do I fix the leaves? Do I just have to cut off the ones that are sticky? Will the bugs leave if there's no sticky leaves left, or do I need to get rid of the whole plant?

Please help a panicking plant mommy!

I will be the first to admit that I do not have my grandmother's green thumb. When I first got my lovely row of plants for my apartment, we had a few rocky starts. But after the Near Death Experience of early '10, where my little green darlings went for a week and a half or more without water, things have been on a more even keel. I water them once a week or so, with a little plant food mixed in, and they humour me by not dying. A few, in fact, are even budding!

For the last week or so, one of my plants has had some lovely pink buds. They look like pentagons, and I've been waiting expectantly to see if they're going to bloom or if they're just going to continue to be pink buds. Imagine my surprise this morning when the first one bloomed! How cool! Now I wait expectantly for all the others to bloom, too!

(Biology major readers, can anyone tell me what type of plant this is? I have no idea what any of my plants are, except for the african violet. Thanks!)