On National Poinsettia Day we"re taking an up-close look at a poinsettia leaf. Although many people assume the red, white, pink, purple, or marbled colors are flowers, they"re actually bracts, a type of leaf that aids in reproduction, usually by turning color as the plant develops true flowers. On the poinsettia, the bracts, surrounding small yellow clustered buds called cyathia, flag down pollinators just as flower petals do.
What are we looking at?
Today in History
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International Tiger Day
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Honoring our fallen heroes
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Friendship Day
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Bird s-eye view on World Environment Day
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Okavango Delta, Botswana
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World of WearableArt Awards
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Enter the magical world of Livraria Lello
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Tour de France 2024 begins
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International Surfing Day
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Are you older than this lake?
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The persistence of Perito Moreno
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A lofty lighthouse and a little ocean spray
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Christmas Eve
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Reflecting on one of the world s strangest rivers
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Martin Luther King Jr. Day
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Citizenship Day and Constitution Day
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Dreaming of the Tyrrhenian Sea
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Daylight saving time
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The most Instagrammable bird?
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Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, England
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Florentine garden brings generations together
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Bringing the moon to Earth
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Bungle Bungle Range in Purnululu National Park, Australia
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Perfect timing
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Diwali
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Halloween
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A bridge comes full circle
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St. Paul Winter Carnival
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Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch on the institution s 175th anniversary
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Perseid meteor shower over Nevada