Ernest Williams, the Christian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching Professor of Biology, recently published a journal article, co-authored with collaborators from Sweet Briar College and Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. The article, "Oyamel fir forest trunks provide thermal advantages for overwintering monarch butterflies in Mexico," appeared in Insect Conservation and Diversity 2:163-175.

This is the second paper in a series of studies about the environmental conditions for overwintering monarch butterflies. It is based on field work the group conducted in the overwintering monarch colonies in the mountains in central Mexico (the state of Michoacan) during the last several winters.