I’ve had a wonderful week infiltrating the ranks of meteorologists! I’m always excited to share my own research, and I’ve learnt a lot about climatology, a subject with so much collaborative potential with ecology 🌦️🌱🦋🌍

Essential to functioning ecosystems, insects are declining at alarming rates--even in remote areas. A 20-year study in CO found an average annual decline of 6.6% in insect abundance, amounting to a 72.4% drop over the 20-year period. The steep decline was associated with rising summer temperatures.

I’m very excited to be sharing some of my work on quantifying microclimates and their performance during heatwaves at this years European Meteorological Society conference! I’m very much outside my comfort zone and looking forward to learning lots about climatology across scales 🕵️‍♀️🌍🔍

A pleasure to be (co-)supervising these young folks @globalchangeeco.bsky.social, together with @esme-ashe.bsky.social and @christianzehner.bsky.social

Can we harness the knowledge of local or amateur entomologists to investigate long-term change? 🤔 I’ll be demonstrating how observations of the natural world can be translated into meaningful data and trends at @gfoesoc.bsky.social Thurs 12:15pm 0.001 📚🏫

And that’s a wrap! Today I finished my butterfly sampling in the Alps, with a final visit to my highest elevation site (and probably my favourite). I caught my 606th butterfly of the month, and it’s time to head home 🦋🗻

After a few days of rain, we managed to get two dry days to complete our site surveys! Today was a beautiful bright day with a cold wind, air temperatures have dropped 10C in a week! It seems the summer field season is coming to a close, and we were just in time! 🦋🗻

After a rainy few days we’re been back in the field! After a slobbery encounter with some cows, we had a good day sampling. The encounter of the day was this stunning spurge hawk-moth larva (Hyles euphorbiae) 🐛 it was huge, the size of a finger!!

Another scorching day in the mountains! Today’s site was overflowing with Scotch argus (Erebia aethiops), even watched a few laying their eggs carefully on grass stems. Few other species around, but at least this one is flourishing here

Today was one of the hottest days we’ve gone out sampling, reaching nearly 30C here in the mountains ☀️🔥 Many butterflies seemed to be hugging the shade today. One of my students spotted this lovely garden tiger moth (Arctia caja) similarly hiding in the shadows

Another sunny day at our highest elevation plot! Some nice finds today, lots of yellow-spotted ringlets (Erebia manto), and my first ever mountain clouded yellows (Colias phicomone) (sadly no good photos)! So many species out flying, it’s always a pleasure to visit (…except for the climb)

Another day out sampling butterflies! Many silver-spotted skippers (Hesperia comma) buzzing about, they’re in good numbers here! Otherwise had the pleasure of sharing a peaceful moment with this painted lady (Vanessa cardui), who seemed reluctant to leave after I interrupted their nectaring 🌸🦋

Another sunny day out sampling butterflies in the Alps! Today we came across a site rich in silver-spotted skippers (Hesperia comma), but in the heat of the sun they were incredibly fast and restless, very hard to catch! 🦋💨☀️ luckily Erebia rarely seem to be in a hurry, so the sampling was still good

Today we visited two higher elevation sites, and made the most of the sunshine! ☀️ Highlights include this silver-spotted skipper (Hesperia comma) who seemed comfortable on my insect pot for just long enough to get a quick photo

Yesterday wasn’t as successful in the field, cows on the sites makes sampling tougher, but highlight of the day was seeing the food chain in action with this small spider munching on a much larger Erebia butterfly. What a feast that must be, and incredible grip to hold them both on such a small stem

Another successful day in the field, lots of Argynnis species out in the sunshine. It was a particular pleasure to enjoy the view with this high brown fritillary (Argynnis adippe)

As of yesterday I’m back in the Alps investigating thermoregulation and thermal tolerance of butterflies, and joined by two masters students working on Orthopterans. 🗻🦗🦋☀️ So far the weathers been quite changeable, hopefully improving over the next few days

Some species can be challenging to ID, particularly if their traits are variable or similar to other species. So I was extremely excited to catch this lovely female Pieris mannii with textbooks traits! My first confident ID of this species, and first record of this species on campus 🤩✨🦋

New Masters launching! 🤩 A 2 year program in Germany and Norway, all courses held in English. Amazing opportunity to learn about some of the most critical challenges the natural world is facing from leading scientists working in this field 🌍🌱

New paper alert! Amateur entomologists play an important role in collecting detailed and informative observations of the natural world, which can be used to investigate long term change doi.org/10.1111/icad...

Today we’ve been exploring heating rates across different moth traits on the Evolutionary Ecology course, using a combination of the very new and very old, using a thermal camera to monitor warming of pinned specimens under the light of an overhead projector

This Red Admiral has fluttered onto your feed to let you know that the #BigButterflyCount is just 1 week away! Get ready to count 👉 bigbutterflycount.org 📷: Michael Preston

Fantastic evidence for how agriculture could be adapted for biodiversity!🚜🌾🦋 Here in Germany hedgerows are not so common. To me these landscapes look almost alien, strangely expansive, evoking whatever the opposite of claustrophobia is. Hedgerows could have a massive impact in landscapes like these!

Some beautiful peacock butterflies (Aglais io) out today, very strong fliers. Managed to get a quick photo as I released one, it couldn’t fly away fast enough! What incredible eyespots 👁️

Back in Würzburg this week, and sadly the weather is not great for butterfly sampling. Though the cooler weather means I can sneak closer to some species for photos, like this lovely small copper (Lycaena phlaeas). The row of blue spots along the hindwing makes this the caeruleopunctata form 💙

My final day setting up butterfly sampling sites in the Alps. A tough day of scrambling up mountainsides with little success, other than the privilege to stumble across a spot flourishing with Apollo butterflies (Parnassius apollo)! 🤩 Sadly no photos, instead I leave with a beautiful memory 🥰

Week 2 setting up Alps butterfly sampling sites has commenced! After a gruelling 2-3 hour uphill hike, with some spectacular views, once I reached the top…there just wasn’t anything flying, not a 🦋 to be found!

After a stormy few day, I finally managed to get out again and hike all the way to one of my highest sites, at about 1800m.

Day 4 of setting up sampling sites in the Alps was sadly cut short by a storm, but before then I was gifted some beautiful views 😍

Day 3 locating butterfly sampling sites in the Alps. A slower day than yesterday, so I could spend more time soaking in the sites

Day two in the Alps setting up sampling sites, another lovely day! Well…after a two hour uphill hike…after that is was a delightful day! 🥰

Today marks my first day in the Alps setting up some butterfly sampling sites, and what a first day!! Got chased by a cow, enjoyed the blistering sun, and encountered some amazing species!

First marbled white of the year! A gorgeous species, unusually coloured for a Nymphalid (most species in this family are orange/brown), their striking colouration is stunning on fresh individuals like this 😍

Another gorgeous species encountered, the green-underside blue (Glaucopsyche alexis) in a carefully managed community orchard. At the butterfly’s scale the tall grass must feel like a towering forest 🌱🦋

Working in Germany means I encounter species that are relatively common here that are very rare to me (as a Brit). What a pleasure it is to be surrounded by black veined white moths (Siona lineata). Back home this species is only found in a few locations in Kent

Today is BioBlitz! Come along to Campus Hubland from 12pm today to explore nature, enjoy some fun activities, and see what research on our local wildlife looks like 💚🌱🦋🐝🐞

Happy birthday to Sir David Attenborough! His impact on inspiring nature appreciation is immeasurable, may his passion inspire the next generation of stewards of the natural world 💚🌍🌱

The Global Change Biology course is on an excursion to a solar park today, in the glorious sunshine ☀️ could solar parks play a role in reducing carbon emissions, meeting energy needs, and making space for biodiversity? 🤔 @globalchangeeco.bsky.social

One year ago today I graduated my PhD! It feels like a hundred years ago, amazing how fast life can move 🥰

I will be showcasing some of our local spectacular butterflies, and demonstrating what on the ground ecological research looks like 🦋🕵️‍♀️

Just pulled a blackbird out from under the claws of someone’s cat. Please keep your cat indoors, they can have devastating impacts on local wildlife

Antrag eingereicht - Zusammen mit @nadja-simons.bsky.social @esme-ashe.bsky.social und @christianhof.bsky.social wollen wir in den kommenden Jahren Zusammenhänge zwischen #Biodiversität und #ErneuerbareEnergien untersuchen. bayklif.de/bayklif2/ @globalchangeeco.bsky.social @uni-wuerzburg.de

I want to grow some brassicas to attract Pierid butterflies (I want to observe their larvae) but I’m a complete gardening novice! Does anyone have any advice? I’ve got a small plot of land (3m x 0.6m), and am currently germinating some white cabbage (Brassica oleracea) indoors

Did u know? If you don't let caterpillars in your life, you won't get butterflies. Caterpillars are just teenage butterflies. They're eating machines whose job it is to build up energy to help complete its unique metamorphic lifecycle....And it's amazing how much they grow! .... Mini-me. 🤪🐛

Shocking statistics; dramatic declines over large spatial scales, with even common species disappearing. But there is still hope that with effective evidence-led conservation, we can protect species before they are lost bbc.com/news/article...

Brimstone spotted!! 🦋 My first butterfly of the year! Did you know that this species is suspected to be the origin of the word ‘butterfly’ (‘butter coloured fly’) 🧈🪰 due to its colour…I’ve never been hugely convinced, looks more green than yellow to me, unless people used to make green butter…🤔

It’s World Book Day! A book I’ve found indispensable in my research is ‘Life Cycles of British and Irish Butterflies’ 🐛🦋 no other book has such detailed information on the entire life cycle, including images of every instar!! Can you tell how much I’ve used this book by how dirty and ragged it is 😂

On cold winter days I look forward to my fieldwork in summer. Sunshine, fresh air, experiencing nature, I can’t wait for spring 🌸☀️🦋🌱🐛

New paper alert! The success (or failure) of wildlife translocation is often poorly monitored. Genetic monitoring of an isolated adder population founded by translocation found high relatedness, and curiously, evidence of an undocumented release 🐍 doi.org/10.33256/34....

Hello Blue Sky community! 👋 I'm a post-doc researcher interested in thermal traits in butterflies, with a focus on how we can improve conservation in a changing world 🌿🦋🔆