txtiel's Favourites

Female Phigalia strigataria
"The Small Phigalia is a silvery moth with an uncommon characteristic in the female that often helps her escape notice. The female Small Phigalia Moth is unable to fly. Her wings are near her head and they are so incredibly small, at first glance, it looks as if she has none."
The second picture is male
https://bugguide.net/node/view/1201418/bgimage

Texas Winter Storm 2021 plant and pollinator survey

https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KTXAUSTI1618/graph/2021-02-27/2021-02-27/daily

This water loving mint is growing in soggy soil at the edge of a creek along with a dense mat of round-leaf sedges and water primroses. The area stays wet even after the creek stops flowing, although water still trickles through, down from flooding earlier this summer. The stems are square, thin, and green. The tiny, tubular flowers are various shades of purple.

I think it smells like spearmint, but my friend says peppermint. She makes peppermint tea from it and it's less spearmint-y when steeped.

I saw three of these birds in the park today and they look like Munia. I can't make them fit into any other description of sparrows or finches. Have you seen these in the Austin area?
@cullen
@greglasley