"I personally have seen flamingos throughout the state of Utah perched proudly on lawns and in the gravel gardens of trailer courts. These flamingos, of course, are not Phoenicopterus ruber, but pink, plastic flamingos that can easily be purchased at any hardware store." This highlights the widespread presence of artificial flamingos in everyday settings, showcasing how humans recreate and simulate elements of nature in urban and suburban environments.

"It is curious that we need to create an environment foreign from our own. In 1985, over 450,000 plastic flamingos were purchased in the United States. And the number is rising. Pink flamingos teetering on suburban lawns - our unnatural link to the natural world." These artificial symbols reflect a desire to connect with nature, even if artificially, and reveal how human culture adopts and transforms natural elements into cultural icons.