Esme Ashe‐Jepson

Esme Ashe-Jepson

@esme-ashe.bsky.social

640 followers 370 following 64 posts

Post-doc at the University of Würzburg | Global change and temperature impacts on butterflies across the life cycle 🦋🐛☀️ My views are my own, she/her, 🇬🇧 in 🇩🇪

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Environmental science 34%

Biology 31%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Sep 12

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 🌦️🌱🦋🌍

Reposted by Esme Ashe‐Jepson

Lyn Heideman @heidelyn.bsky.social · Sep 10

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.

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Sep 8

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 photo of the EMS Annual Meeting welcome sign

Reposted by Esme Ashe‐Jepson

Christian Hof @christianhof.bsky.social · Sep 3

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

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Aug 31

With collecting a declining hobby, and many written records discarded instead of being deposited in museums, it is increasingly important to preserve this knowledge and make it accessible for researchers 👩‍💻👨‍💻

Reposted by Malte Jochum

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Aug 31

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 📚🏫

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Aug 27

One of the stars of the last few weeks has been the lovely water ringlet (Erebia pronoe), who have stunning markings and vivid colours when fresh. 🤩 They’re quite friendly really, if you don’t mind the tickling!

A photo of a water ringlet (Erebia pronoe) on a hand

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Aug 27

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 🦋🗻

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Aug 25

Today’s catch of the day was also the catch of the week, a stunning swallowtail (Papilio machaon)! 🤩 A beautiful species, and very obliging to let me take some photos while it nectared 🌸🦋☀️

A photo of a swallowtail butterfly (Papilio machaon) with wings open on a flower

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Aug 25

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! 🦋🗻

Reposted by Christian Hof

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Aug 19

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!!

Reposted by Christian Hof

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Aug 15

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

Reposted by Christian Hof

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Aug 14

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

Reposted by Christian Hof

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Aug 13

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)

A six spot burnet moth (Zygana filipendulae) taking off from a flower

Reposted by Christian Hof

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Aug 11

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 🌸🦋

A painted lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) sat on a hand with wings open in front of a mountain view

Reposted by Christian Hof

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Aug 9

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

A photo of an alpine grassland with mountains in the background

Reposted by Christian Hof

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Aug 8

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

Reposted by Christian Hof

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Aug 8

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

Reposted by Christian Hof

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Aug 6

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)

A photo of a high brown fritillary (Argynnis adippe) resting on a finger with wings open in front of a mountain view

Reposted by Christian Hof

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Aug 6

Favourite catch so far was this lovely female brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni), which adorably tucked its head and legs away to do its best leaf impression when caught. I’ve not seen this behaviour up close before, and solidifies this species as my favourite 🥰

Reposted by Christian Hof

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Aug 6

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

Reposted by Christian Hof

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Jul 22

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 🤩✨🦋

A photograph of a southern white butterfly (Pieris mannii) being held with wings open

A photograph of a southern white butterfly held with forceps

Reposted by Christian Hof

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Jul 22

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 🌍🌱

MERGE - Master of Global Change Ecology @merge-master.bsky.social · Jul 21

We’re excited to launch our Double Degree Master’s in Global Change Ecology – a unique collaboration between the University of Würzburg (Germany) and the University of Bergen (Norway)! Passionate about biodiversity🐛, ecosystems🗻, and today’s urgent environmental challenges🌍? This program is for you!

Reposted by Christian Hof, Stefan Pinkert, Esme Ashe‐Jepson

MERGE - Master of Global Change Ecology @merge-master.bsky.social · Jul 21

Reposted by Christian Hof

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Jul 18

Often written records in the forms of diaries and field observations are discarded instead of deposited in museums alongside associated collections of specimens. But they provide context and are sources of unique information that are valuable and worthy of curation

A photograph of a pinned moth collection

Reposted by Christian Hof, Tyson Wepprich

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Jul 18

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...

doi.org

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Jul 16

It warmed my heart (as well as the moths) to see an overhead projector being used again, I haven’t seen one since my early childhood! It worked surprisingly well for a heating experiment! 🔥If you’re in the Würzburg area and thinking of getting rid of an overhead projector…I will take it!

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Jul 16

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

Reposted by Esme Ashe‐Jepson

Butterfly Conservation @savebutterflies.bsky.social · Jul 11

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

A Red Admiral butterfly faces directly at the camera while feeding on buddleia flowers against a vibrant green background

Esme Ashe-Jepson @esme-ashe.bsky.social · Jul 11

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!

A photo of a field of wheat, seemingly without end

A photo of an agricultural field with no physical boundary between the crops

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