How do you tell the difference between poppies and tulips?

I have what I thought were tulips [all different colors]in my front yard. This year they were all red, and when they open up, they look more like poppies.

Answers:
Tulips have broad leaves that come up early in the spring. Tulip leaves are smooth, key point. Poppy leaves come up later and are feathery. Poppy stems are hairy, key point.

The petals of the tulips flower are smooth. The petals of a poppy are sort of wrinkly, like crepe paper.

If all else fails, wait until late summer/early fall. When the flowers are gone and the leaves are dead, dig around a bit and see if it's just roots (poppy) or bulbs (tulip).

Happy gardening!

Other answers:
Tulips have a kinda thick smooth soft petal; where a poppie's petal is almost paper thin crape like (or soft ripply), the center of the poppy will have yellow dust and a hard green ball like that we used as kids to make doll heads. Eather can be of multi colors.
Tulips have a kinda thick smooth soft petal; where a poppie's petal is almost paper thin crape like (or soft ripply), the center of the poppy will have yellow dust and a hard green ball like that we used as kids to make doll heads. Eather can be of multi colors.
easy: tulips are monocots and have flower parts in 3s; poppies are dicots and have petals in 4s (altho many are doubles) and lots of stamens (see pic @ link)
A poppy is floppy.
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