There are lots of species of flamingos. The greater and lesser flamingos hail from South Africa. Three other types come from South America. The only North American native flamingo was once considered one of the greater birds from Africa, but now it's earned its wings as a discrete species.

My favorite flamingo species hails from Leominster, Massachusetts, the plastics Capital of the World. They can be identified by their plastic bodies and protruding lawn stakes. Sculptor Don Featherstone created the kitschy classics in 1957, giving us 60 years of front yard fun.

My mom thought they were adorable. She collected a whole flamboyance (yes, that's what you call a flock) of flamingos. She didn't just stick them in the ground all willy-nilly, either. She arranged them. She set up two of them to drink from the bird fountain. Three more standing on one leg looking toward the setting sun. Several smaller ones surrounded by their 'parents'.

At the time, I thought it was just like everything parents did: horrifically embarrassing. But I've grown to appreciate her artistic vision. So today I keep the memory of Mom's flamboyance of flamingos alive in my own way - with a welcoming flamingo doormat.