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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Greetings from Asbury Park
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Under Parisian skies
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Everyone s watching the Perseids
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World Lizard Day
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Mada in Saleh, Saudi Arabia
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National Bird Day
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Happy trails for the 21st century
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Old underground cellar, Bavaria, Germany
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Islands of the Salish Sea
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Construction workers resting above Manhattan
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What are these creatures?
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It s Coffee Day
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Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica
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The desert blooms
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American robin
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Cypress trees in George L. Smith State Park, Georgia
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World Whale Day
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Ruins of St. Dwynwens Church, Ynys Llanddwyn, Wales
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The monsoon arrives in the desert
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Native American Heritage Month
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Kjell Henriksen Observatory
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Red deer stag in Glen Affric, Scottish Highlands
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Paralympic Games begin in Paris
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Polar bears
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Are you older than this lake?
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Bobbing for crab apples
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Australian baobab tree, Kimberley region, Western Australia
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Daylight saving time begins
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The Alhambra in Granada, Spain
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It’s surströmming time