Plants

A star-shaped fungus found only in Texas, Oklahoma and Japan is popping up in the Austin area this winter to the delight of mushroom enthusiasts.

February’s severe winter weather left a lot of dead trees. Now it’s time to deal with them before they cause problems.

“Unprecedented” is getting thrown around a lot to describe last week's severe winter storm, the electrical blackouts, the loss of water. What may also be unprecedented is the amount of cactus and other plant life severely damaged during the freeze.

The tale of how the cactus moth got to Texas is a yarn of Mesoamerican empires, colonial intrigue and evolutionary biology. Researchers hope in that history they will find a lesson on how to stop the moth.

Doctor Hans Landel blows minds for a living.He travels the state giving workshops on invasive plants. But he starts each one with a warning. “If you’re…