This infrared photograph, taken at Plunge Pool at White Memorial Conservation Center in Litchfield, Connecticut presents a dichotomy of calm and foreboding. The clear sky above with a few scattered cumulus clouds hints at auspicious weather. The pond below is filled with beautiful photosynthesizing lilypads which, with their blooming flowers, often support pollinators. But an excess of lilypads, as in this scene, will reduce the pond’s oxygen levels, impede the movement of fish and other aquatic life, and the resulting stagnant water can attract mosquitoes. Our warming climate has supported an extended growing season for aquatic plants like lilypads. The artist has enhanced this image with strong detail to call attention to the myriad lilypads covering the pond, as well as deep contrast in the sky reflected in the pond in the photograph’s foreground.