Wiley was known for her 7 am walking tours and natural science field trips of Central Park and Greater New York, and was an author, illustrator, teacher and historian.
Outside of her work at the American Museum of Natural History, Wiley authored a field guide in 1936, Ferns of Northeastern United States, which she co-illustrated.
Both editions of Ferns were indexed using Linnaean taxonomy and observational characteristics, displaying Wiley's technical and descriptive prowess.
The book was approved by the Roosevelt family and trust, with other American naturalists and essayists, such as Ambrose Flack, John Burroughs, Gifford Pinchot and Henry Fairfield penning essays for the project.
[9] Despite being a skilled naturalist with an immense body of knowledge, Wiley commented "Most women don't have the strength or endurance for [expeditions].
Other female museum directors, including Mary Louisa Duncan Putnam of the Davenport, Iowa Academy of Natural Sciences took a back seat when it came to claiming scientific aptitude.
During Wiley's tenure at the American Museum of Natural History, the title of "scientist" was largely connected to doctorates, publications, and decades of instructional experience at a university.
[11] A middle-aged woman like Wiley may have found the bureaucratic and imposing world of academia tedious, and focused her efforts on public outreach, bringing many women, who otherwise would not have possessed the tools to understand the life sciences, into the fold.