The poppies commonly distributed by veterans’ groups around Memorial Day are red.
The red poppy became a remembrance symbol after World War I, inspired by the poppies described in John McCrae’s 1915 poem “In Flanders Fields.” The flowers grew in disturbed ground around battlefields and cemeteries in Belgium and northern France.
Moina Michael, an American professor, promoted the poppy as a memorial emblem after reading McCrae’s poem. The American Legion adopted the poppy as its memorial flower and has supported the distribution of handmade poppies to raise funds for veterans’ programs.
Poppy traditions differ by country and organization. In the United States, the red poppy is strongly associated with remembrance of war dead and with veterans’ charitable work; it is not the official national flower or an exclusive symbol of Memorial Day.