Poinsettia at the beach

I've been fascinated with my Poinsettia's the past few months.   I have had one at the beach and monitored it with fascination.    It managed to make it through the summer months,

 and into the fall.  Didn't get real big but then one day I noticed it changing colors, and I got excited.   And when I get excited I pick up a camera and document stuff. 

Here it is, as it evolved;

October 5, when I visited the beach I noticed that the veins on the leaves were beginning to show some color:

And there was a faint change in color on the leaves as well.   I got so excited.

The next time I went to the beach was on the 14th of October and this is what I found.

I got even more excited, this was so cool, a plant that I used to buy fully formed and red had evolved from the green of summer and was going to turn a brilliant red.  Or so I hoped.

And it did.   Turn red that is, or at least was in the process of turning red the next trip I managed to make to visit on November 1st.   And as luck would have it, I found a swallowtail butterfly visiting at the same time.
I got kinda busy and didn't make it back out until the 25th of November.

And the red was almost a neon red.   But oh, so beautiful.  And I felt so proud, why, I don't know but I did.
Then we got a couple of nights where the temperature dipped down, and stuff froze.  Including my lovely Poinsettia

But I am so glad I got to see it in all of its glory.    It really was lovely.  But I still have the one at the house and I'm babying that one.   I'll share its journey later on