Don Sutherland's photos

The New York Botanical Garden’s annual orchid show (Bronx, New York)—February 25, 2024.“The Orchid Show: Florals in Fashion” is inspired by fashion. The Garden’s description states: Strike a pose! The Orchid Show brings the catwalk to the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory in a fashion-inspired celebration of all things orchids—and we want YOU at the center of the sartorial experience. Catch the bold new designs of New York’s rising stars of the stitch with work by Collina Strada by Hillary Taymour, Dauphinette by Olivia Cheng, and FLWR PSTL by Kristen Alpaugh, fashionistas who have created dramatic, picture-perfect floral displays at the Garden that always capture the orchid’s good side. This is your chance to “walk the runway” and show off your own personal flair, your love for orchids, and your fashion-forward connections to the natural world. Because florals are always en vogue at NYBG.

A snowstorm blankets the landscape (Larchmont, New York)—February 13, 2024. The storm brought 3.2" (8.1 cm) of snow. Overall, the season has been characterized by much below normal snowfall. Through today, seasonal snowfall is 7.5" (19.1 cm). Last winter saw the least snowfall on record with just 2.3" (5.8 cm). New York City went through a record 701-day stretch without seeing daily snowfall of 1.0" (2.5 cm) or more. The old record was 383 days. Should New York City finish with less than 10.0" (25.4 cm) of snow, Winters 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 would mark the first time two consecutive winters had less than 10.0" (25.4 cm) of snow. (The snow season ends on June 30th, although New York City has never seen measurable snowfall after April 25th. Normal snowfall is 29.8" (75.7 cm). In terms of temperatures, Winter 2023-2024 is concluding today with a seasonal average temperature of 40.6°F (4.8°C) in New York City. That is its fourth warmest winter on record. The past two winters have become the first occurence of two consecutive winters having average temperatures of 40.0°F (4.4°C) or warmer in New York City. Such winters were once rare. Prior to 2000, only one winter, 1931-1932, had a mean temperature of 40.0°F (4.4°C) or above. Since then five winters have seen such warmth: 2001-2002, 2011-2012, 2015-2016, 2022-2023, and 2023-2024. New York City's records go back to 1869. Many locations experienced their warmest winter on record. Much of Canada, the Northern Plains in the United States, parts of Europe, and northwest Africa saw extraordinary warmth. Scandinavia was one of the few places that had a colder than normal winter. Overall, it seemed that autumn lingered through the winter months giving up only its glorious colors, but not much of its warmth. Now, the early flowers of spring already dot the landscape.

AI visualization: A young cosmologist ponders the origin and development of the Universe from her seat in the cosmos as space-time curves beneath her feet and Earth comes into view behind her.

AI generation: A pianist plays with one hand during a moonlit night while a nearby volcano explodes. The image represents humanity’s largely business-as-usual course even as rising greenhouse gases lead to severe heatwaves, intense precipitation, severe droughts, and widespread marine heatwaves. The use of a single hand symbolizes humanity’s less than full effort to address climate change. The erupting volcano warns of the dangers that lie ahead. The full Moon and clear night sky represent the flourishing world that is fast disappearing.

An AI generation inspired by the work of Pierre-Auguste Renoir and style of Vincent Van Gogh. The gold represents the timeless and priceless value fine art has. The distant tornado represents the power and passion that is behind artistic excellence. The swirls represent the dancer's motion.

An AI generation. A young lifeguard stares in disbelief at her smartphone after receiving a text message alert that sharks have been spotted in the water. She is unaware that one of the sharks has come ashore. Fortunately for her, the shark begins to fall apart outside the water much as a hurricane falls apart after making landfall.

On this opening day of Cupid's "hunting season," it's worth recalling Shakespeare's observation, "And when love speaks, the voice of all the gods make heaven drowsy with the harmony." Love can transform the soul and, in doing so, the world. May all have a very happy Valentine's Day.

An AI generation of fish fleeing warming, increasingly acidic waters in search of refuge from climate change. Climate change has led to an increased frequency, expanse, and magnitude of marine heatwaves, along with growing acidification of the world's oceans.

An AI-generated visualization of the chaotic early days of the Milky Way Galaxy

An AI generation where the gold represents how precious the world and its ecosystems are, the snow and ice represent its fragility, and the fractals illustrate how complexity is built from simplicity.

AI-generated image of a young woman's power of attraction.

An AI-generated visualization of how Vincent Van Gogh might have painted his masterpiece had he resided on Mars.

Deer at the Marshlands Conservancy (Rye, New York)--November 22, 2023

Late fall's last colors (Rye, New York)--November 12, 2023

Today, New York City saw a demonstration with an estimated 75,000 people seeking concrete efforts to address climate change (New York, New York)—September 17, 2023

Landscape scene at the New York Botanical Garden (Bronx, New York)—August 19, 2023

Another round of smoke from ongoing wildfires in Canada shrouded New York City today (New York City, New York)--June 30, 2023. The Air Quality Index remained in the 160s (unhealthy) throughout the afternoon.

Wildfire smoke shrouds the Long Island Sound (Larchmont, New York)--June 7, 2023. The New York City area is experiencing a historic period of wildfire smoke. Thick smoke from wildfires in Quebec brought blood-red sunrises, an acrid smell of fire, and almost apocalyptic darkness during mid-afternoon. The visibility crashed to 0.75 miles and the Air Quality Index spiked at 484 in the City. Climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels is resulting in increasing vapor pressure deficits (a measure of dryness). In turn, fires become more frequent, more expansive, and more intense. To date, the fossil fuel industry receives approximately $5.9 trillion in subsidies annually according to the IMF's methodology that incorporates externalities such as climate change-driven disasters. No policy efforts aimed at directly reducing the burning of fossil fuels are underway and CO2 emissions continue to move farther from the trajectory required to limit warming to 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels. Recent weather extremes--extremes that are increasing in magnitude at a faster rate than the temperature is rising--hints that the world's climate may be approaching or even have reached a critical point. Beyond that critical point may lie a harsher and more unstable climate. The unprecedented smoke event in New York City is perhaps just another symptom of the climate transition that leads to that more volatile climate state.