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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Carl Sagan Day
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Mod gear
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Last stop before leaving the solar system
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Young black caiman, Tambopata National Reserve, Peru
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A day to celebrate teachers
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Endangered Species Day
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Striated heron on a Victoria water lily, Pantanal, Brazil
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Everest s shadow on the Himalayas
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Finnish Independence Day
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St. Paul Winter Carnival
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Black-naped monarch
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Storks ready for takeoff
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International Surfing Day
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St. Patricks Day
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Taughannock Falls State Park
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The most wonderful day of the year. Period.
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Chapel of St. Michel on Lake Serre-Ponçon, Hautes-Alpes, France
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Ring of Brodgar, Orkney, Scotland
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The ruins of Italica, Andalusia, Spain
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The cycle begins anew
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The natural ice wall of Misotsuchi, Chichibu, Japan
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Sounds of Bach come to Bath
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National Park Service Founders Day
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Hey, don t you guys have somewhere to be?
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Big-wave hunters watch Nazaré
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Star Wars Day
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Lake Misurina, Dolomites, Italy
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Mendenhall Glacier, Alaska
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Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
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Frankenstein Friday
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