While February's arctic blast brought problems for millions of Texans, it did have one positive environmental effect.
The winter weather wiped out a large percentage of an invasive species that threatens many lakes in East Texas and Louisiana. Giant Salvinia is a non-native aquatic fern that creates thick mats of leaves on the water's surface, making swimming and fishing nearly impossible.
The plant grows extremely quickly, but doesn't handle cold weather very well. Surveys found that around 90% of the Salvinia in Texas died after February's freeze.
Unfortunately, the Salvinia is already showing signs of regrowth, so experts advise that if you're going to take your boat out, make sure it's clean and dry before hitting the water to avoid spreading Salvinia around.
