To everything a season

Can't begin to explain, but this IS seasonal coloring, or maybe this tree is just sick... but it's the only non-green I have seen in 20-odd months in Indo. And two weeks ago on our last visit it was green. On that seasonal note -- Julia brought a couple of plants onto my patio in December. Soon after that, they were just sticks in dirt, and I figured the leaves had been a tasty snack for our little lizard friends, or for our lizard friends' tasty snacks. But last month I saw leaves all over these two plants, and a week ago they sprouted honest-to-God roses! How cool is that??? Seasonal plants still know when it's supposed to be winter even when there is no winter!!! Do they teach that in grade school?