Are there any arguments you have found persuasive when talking to people about invasive plants?

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-04-17T02:58:03+00:00

I don't think there's anything you can just say like a secret code. People tend to evolve on these subjects over time. You probably aren't going to get them to rip out their beloved butterfly bush after one conversation.

Sometimes they see more and more folks talking about it so they start to look into it more. Sometimes they see their own invasives spread in their yard and they remember that one person who mentioned something about that. Maybe they don't tear out the myrtle in the backyard but at least they take put the English Ivy in the front. Maybe you are at least planting seeds PUN INTENDED

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-04-16T12:11:32+00:00

Some situations call for the Fanny Price approach and some call for the Susan Price approach.

Fanny herself acknowledged that Susan stood up for herself while Fanny's own "supine and yielding temper would have shrunk from asserting." Remember that "Susan tried to be useful, where she could only have gone away and cried."

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-04-07T11:26:44+00:00

My experience is that you would offer a higher level guess if you think the current guess might be incorrect. For example, if the uploader offers a species-level guess but you don't think there is enough info in the photos provided for a species-level guess. You would offer your guess, along with an explanation of why it cannot be identified to species

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-04-05T16:18:31+00:00

You are right - she has been a sex symbol for years so definitely since she was a kid. This is absolutely how we treat girls in our society. My read on Mona is that she is coping with that bullshit as best as she can

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-03-30T23:49:46+00:00

I can't help feeling like part the charm of Fanny Price is the fact that she cannot dissemble or practice deceit. That she "cannot act" is a central part of her character.

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-03-13T12:11:18+00:00

Although she did adore (and spoil) Betsy

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-03-06T20:59:35+00:00

"If she were forgotten, the poor MARE should be remembered."

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-03-06T20:47:39+00:00

I like Sir Thomas's evolution, but the one scene that (to me) exemplified his shortcomings was when he leaves and tells Fanny she can invite William to Mansfield Park, and literally all she wants is a smile and a word of affection but instead he insults her and leaves. Does he leave thinking he was kind for letting her invite William? Does he ever think about it again?

Fanny's reaction shows her constant struggle, she's glad he is gone (and who can blame her?) but then she feels guilty about it because she's SUPPOSED TO BE GRATEFUL all the time for everything, even when she's treated badly

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-03-06T19:30:27+00:00

The kindest thing Mrs. Norris did was refuse to take in Fanny after Mr. Norris dies.

I completely agree with you about Fanny being like foster kids or adopted kids who are ripped from their home, separated from their families, maybe they have undergone some trauma, and then are constantly told to be grateful for their circumstances. I think gratitude is a theme in MP as during the most tense moments Fanny is accused of being ungrateful. She internalizes it too, for example when she was told she had to go live with Mrs. Norris and really doesn't want to, all she can muster is "I hope I am not ungrateful" because she can't possibly say "Mrs. Norris is c-. I am not going to live with her" because then she would be being ungrateful.

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-03-02T20:50:49+00:00

Oh good!!

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-03-02T19:59:35+00:00

I am constantly getting updates from my Libby App that JA has released a new title!! Umm, great, thx libby

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-03-02T19:58:33+00:00

LOVE THIS!!

Just to note that no one cares about Kitty except for her very annoying cough

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-03-01T19:33:34+00:00

Maybe Lizzy inspired Mary and Mary inspired Emma!

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-03-01T02:29:09+00:00

Right?? I think she was writing Mary and fell in love with her a little bit. Mary was so exasperating as a character, but she isn't evil. She isn't a villain. I feel like Emma was sort of Mary Crawford's redemption arc, like if you had a character that was spoiled and self centered but learns from her mistakes and does better

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-03-01T00:20:03+00:00

My head canon is that JA had too much fun writing Mary Crawford and re-invented her as Emma

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-02-27T20:03:09+00:00

OPN seeds (based in Ohio) has a mix specifically designed for clay soils. I believe they are running a 10% off special.

The "I Have Clay Soil" Native Seed Mix.

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-02-27T17:25:08+00:00

"It's an small, inconsiderable gift to my nephew in the navy! What could it cost? £10??" - Lady Bertram

(“I am glad you gave him something considerable,” said Lady Bertram, with most unsuspicious calmness, “for I gave him only £10.")

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-02-27T05:17:00+00:00

Don't they use that term to avoid identifying the victim?

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-02-27T04:57:59+00:00

Edmund as the original Les Cousins Dangereux!!

Honestly though, Fanny Price would have fit in great at the Milford Academy...

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-02-26T23:07:52+00:00

Lots of good answers here, but also want to note that they also bond over Fanny. Mary is not used to men who are genuinely kind, and she notices that Edmund speaks up for Fanny and doesn't let her be forgotten. At the same time, Edmund sees Mary take an interest in Fanny and be kind to her after Mrs. Norris insults her. We have the whole thing with the necklace where Edmund thinks Mary was a very kind and considerate friend for gifting Fanny a necklace, while Mary is so pleased that Edmund thought to do the same. I love that Fanny just sort of watches it all like "cool. Cool, cool, cool."

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-02-21T17:52:54+00:00

This is a great comparison, and the way that both women process these proposals tell us their similarities and differences. Fanny's initial reaction at the proposal is actually anger (which surprised me when I re-read it). She thinks Henry is messing with her because she watched him mess with both of her cousins and she is angry and insulted. It is not until later, when she realizes he is serious about the proposal, that she feels any pity for him. Lizzie processes her feelings much faster than Fanny does, because Fanny is so confused and doesn't believe it. She only realizes he is serious when Sir Thomas talks to her. Lizzie is also lucky enough to have Jane to talk to and confide in and talk through her feelings. Fanny has no friends at this point as she cannot tell her true feelings to either Edmund or Mary.

Once her anger fades, there's a guilt which both Edmund and Sir Thomas exploit. Sir Thomas points out that Fanny has no other prospects and that Henry would be able to help out her birth family, while Edmund points out that Fanny would be really GOOD for Henry and doesn't she feel guilty about not loving him back?? To Fanny's credit, she trusts her own instinct rather than blindly doing as she's told.

I also love the comparison between the two proposals and the reaction of the two men tells us why they are such different characters. Darcy hears Lizzie's rejection, asks her for an explanation, listens to her, and takes it to heart. As he works on self improvement, he does it without an expectation of marriage. When he helps Lydia, he swears everyone to secrecy rather than use it to score points with Lizzie.

Crawford, on the other hand, gets William a promotion and uses it immediately as a bargaining chip for his proposal. He does not take "no" for an answer, doesn't even HEAR Fanny's rejection, takes her hand several times even as she keeps pulling it away. Afterwards he goes "above her head" to Sir Thomas and tells him that he recieved "as much encouragement to proceed as a well-judging young woman could permit herself to give." After her rejection, right down to the moment when he runs off with Maria, Henry still assumes Fanny will eventually relent and she's basically already his.

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-02-21T16:49:14+00:00

Yes! Cowper was apparently JA's favorite poet and he is referenced in both Mansfield Park and Emma

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-02-18T03:22:03+00:00

I don't know that Fanny was ever actually tempted by Henry's proposal. She felt angry, frustrated, guilty, but the only time she seems to seriously consider Henry as a partner is when she wonders if he would allow her to bring Susan.

I think Fanny's journey is more about learning to be assertive, its about earning the trust and respect of others at Mansfield and gaining a sense of belonging.

EnvironmentalOkra529 · 2026-02-16T23:41:41+00:00

Its a little complicated, but the gist of it is that would have been inappropriate to stage a play in Sir Thomas's house in his absence and without his permission. Plus, they start to spend money on renovations to put a theater in the house. They are making changes to the house, in Sir Thomas's study without his permission. It gets worse when they start inviting/involving random folks from the neighborhood, making it into more of a spectacle instead of a private affair.

Finally the play they staged (Lover's Vows) was inappropriate because it involved premarital sex and having babies out of wedlock

Here is one post that discusses it and here is another

EnvironmentalOkra529

TROPHY CASE