Wildlife Experts in the News

I’m really proud to be included with people I respect and even more delighted to have these last words in Wayne Hall’s Times Herald Record column: “The fact that the animals make it this far is a testament because the odds are very daunting,” says Highland Mills wildlife expert JJ Murphy of www.writerbynature.com. Still, she [...]

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JJ’s Comprehensive Eclectic Book List

I started different book lists and realized I’d have to sort and maintain several documents.

What follows is an ongoing list of my favorites since childhood. Sometimes I will review or comment on a book.

If it’s on this list, I love it every time I read it.

As I think of a book I love and haven’t read in a while, I’ll add the title to this general list. I may sort by genre in time, but for now, it’s everything I read that’s worth sharing.

To be accurate, wild food cookbooks are listed in the introduction to my Wild Food Recipes.

Happy Reading.

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Ten Easy-to-Stick-to New Year’s Resolutions

It’s easy being green when you adopt a few of these New Year’s resolutions.

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Vocabulary for Wild and Cultivated Plants: Flowers

Sharing a common vocabulary with botanists and naturalists makes it easier to understand how plants grow.

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A Winning Day in Politics and Nature

The voting machine at my polling place was not working, so I voted by paper ballot before heading off to work my Tuesday CSA shift. Yesterday was an amazing day. My fellow Americans embraced faith over fear to elect President Barack Obama, who clearly possesses superior leadership skills. The last eight years have been rough; [...]

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How to Harvest Acorns: Identify the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Work smarter when foraging by learning to recognize which acorns are free from infestation.

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Celebrating Equinox 2008

Autumn is the perfect time to go back to the classroom.

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How a Blogger Saves You Time and Money


You know blogging is an effective way to build customer loyalty and increase sales, but you have no time and you’d rather endure root canal than write.

You know that just one blog post per week would reach more of your ideal clients than any advertising you could purchase, but the task seems daunting.

Give yourself a break. Partner with a Blogger.

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Survive This: Falling Through Ice

This was originally written as a magazine submission. It was not published, but I believe this information is important. This is not something you can practice. I visualize this situation in order to imprint it. I hope I never fall through ice, but if I did, I’d be more likely to survive.

Predicament: 

You’re crossing a snow-covered lake when you hear a CRACK and instantly plunge into frigid water.

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