Peacock Images

On my first day in South Carolina, I saw a peacock sculpture at Brookgreen Gardens - marking a path into the gardens near the visitor’s center. The sculpture captures the haughtiness of the real bird that I saw the next day at Magnolia Plantation & Gardens. The bird displayed for visitors standing in line to get tickets. The patch of grass and nearby fence was its stage. Periodically he screeched and was answered by peacocks elsewhere on the property. He seemed to enjoy the attention of people but needed the connection to others of his kin.

Peacocks must be one of the most dramatically plumed birds on the planet. Their feathers are long and lush with color and pattern. Did the idea for long trains of formal gowns (and the bustle that was fashionable at one time) come from the peacock’s tail (see the picture of the peacock on the fence at the right)? The color is structural rather than from pigment so it does not fade. I have some peacock feathers that are almost 30 years old and, while physically fragile, they still have their brilliant colors.