A very dear friend has been experiencing numerous challenges these past few months. She mentioned how it sometimes felt like she was hanging on by a thread with no quick fix in sight.

It reminded me that the monarch caterpillar (毛虫) that I cared for just changed into a butterfly that morning. After eating on milkweed leaves from our garden, the hungry caterpillar found a comfortable spot at the top of the net butterfly enclosure and spun a silken thread to attach itself there. The caterpillar hung upside down in a J shape for a day or so. Then, in less than a few hours of struggling, the caterpillar was a beautiful green butterfly!

All the research I've done indicates that the change into a butterfly should take between 10- 12 days. I can only imagine what is going on there, but I'm sure it's a huge struggle and reforming. Haven't we all been doing the same to some degree lately? These especially challenging times are presenting us with the unavoidable experiences needed for our inner selves to use as food for growth. Not easy? You bet! Worth it? Yes!

Many thanks to our local library for the loan of the butterfly enclosure. They raised and released painted butterflies as part of their children's summer reading program this year. I had no idea that planting a few milkweed plants would lead to such a fascinating study of caterpillars and butterflies. The caterpillar has kept me mindfully occupied and fascinated during our recent COVID 19 self- isolation.

Hanging on by a thread as we transform, keep in mind the beautiful wings we are growing. We are all somewhere in the midst of that unbelievable process. Trust the process. Have faith. Know that you are becoming the most beautiful person that you can be.

When caught in the rain, we have all run for cover —often to a nearby tree. On the way, we step over short-lived puddles (水坑) and hastily-formed streams, surprised at how quickly the soil changes from supportive and predictable to untrustworthy: slippery, soft, and spongy. At first chance we tend to flee, skipping further observation.

Given that direct observations are often impracticable, remote observation systems are crucial for capturing phenomena that are frequent and unpredictable. However, the Bimbache community of ElHierro observed water running down tree bark during fog events and captured it for drinking, washing and agriculture many years ago. If more contemporary hydrologists (水文学家) had watched fog by trees, forest managers might not have logged (伐木) the Bull Run Watershed, which reduced local rainfall by 30% in 

1982.

Water science faces criticism because of a "techno optimism that tries to solve all problems" . In fact, this issue extends beyond water science. An interdisciplinary research team led by John T. VanStan from Cleveland State University argues that scientists should go beyond the laboratory to directly observe weather phenomena. The researchers insist that hands-on observation of storm events is crucial for comprehending the complexities of wet weather.

"Natural scientists seem increasingly content to stay dry and rely on remote sensors and samplers, models, and virtual experiments to understand natural systems. Consequently, we can miss important stormy phenomena, imaginative inspirations, and opportunities to build intuition (直觉)—all of which are critical to scientific progress," said Van Stan's team.

This type of "umbrella science", they warn, can miss important localized events. For instance, in describing rainwater's flow from the forest treetops to the soils, the authors note that "if several branches efficiently capture and carry storm water to the stem, rainwater inputs to near-stem soils can be more than100 times greater." Likewise, water vapor (水蒸气) clouds trapped beneath forest treetop covers may escape remote detection, yet be sensitive to scientists on the ground. At the broader scale, these oversights can affect Ground Earth systems models, which often underestimate forest treetop water storage.

Direct observation, however, has gone beyond making up for the shortcomings of "umbrella science." Van Stan and colleagues see core value in firsthand storm experiences —not only for natural

scientists, but also for students studying climate change impacts on ecosystems.

Every person yawns. So do many other vertebrate （有脊椎的） animals. including snakes. Dogs, cats, sharks, and chimpanzees. While yawning is contagious （会传染的）. not everyone catches a yawn. Around 60-70% of people yawn if they see another person yawn in real life or in a photo or even read about yawning. Contagious yawning also occurs in animals, but it doesn't necessarily work the same way as in people.

Scientists have proposed many theories for why we catch yawns. Probably the most popular theory is that yawning serves as a form of nonverbal communication. Catching a yawn shows you're accustomed to a person's emotions. Scientific evidence comes from a 2010 study at the University of Connecticut. which concluded yawning does not become contagious until a child is about four years old. when empathy （共情） skills develop. In the study, children with autism, who may have impaired empathy development, caught yawns less often than their peers.

Studying contagious yawning in other animals may provide clues to how people catch yawns. Contagious yawning in animals may serve as a means of communication. Siamese fighting fish yawn when they see their mirror image or another fighting fish, generally just prior to an attack.

Contagious yawning is linked to temperature, in both animals and people. Most scientists speculate it is a thermoregulatory behavior, while some researchers believe it is used to communicate a potential threat or stressful situation. A 2010 study of budgerigars （虎皮鹦鹉） found that yawning increased as temperature was raised near body temperature.

People commonly yawn when tired or bored. Similar behavior is seen in animals. One study found the brain temperature in sleep deprived rats was higher than their core temperature. Yawning reduced brain temperature, possibly improving brain function. Researchers will do further study on this.