Remembrance Day is only a couple of days away now, and marks the day that World War I ended on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

Around that time of year people wear poppies as a mark of respect for those who lost their lives in the war.

However, whilst the red poppy is most commonly worn there are a few different coloured ones you might see about.

There are also purple, black and white poppies that symbolise something slightly different about remembering the war.

What do the different coloured poppies represent for Remembrance Day?

Red poppy

The red poppy is a symbol of remembrance not just of those who died in the World War I, but in conflicts before and since.

Red poppies are sold by the Royal British Legion with thousands of volunteers selling the paper poppies on the streets and in shops every year.

Their use comes from the poem written by Canadian officer John McCrae, first published in December 1915, titled In Flanders Fields.

The description of the poppies having grown from the graves of soldiers on the fields was a powerful symbol that was then adopted by the newly formed Royal British Legion.

Black poppy

The Black poppy is a fairly recent addition, having only been launched in 2010.

Selena Carty set it up and it is worn to remember black, African, Caribbean and Pacific Islanders who lost their lives at war.

The Black Poppy Rose organisation, which sells the poppies, says on its website that it is a "symbol that signifies pride, honour and glory, with the hope that future generations will be inspired by these largely untold historical legacies".

Purple poppy

This was introduced back in 2006 by the charity Animal Aid as a way of remembering the animals that lost their lives at war.

The charity started the appeal because it felt the animals that die at war – which tend to mostly be horses and dogs – are often forgotten.

White poppy

White poppies serve as a pacifist symbol of remembrance for the war.

According to the Peace Pledge Union (PPU), the body which distributes them today, white poppies represent three things: remembrance for all victims of war, commitment to peace and a challenge to the glamorisation of conflict.

It intends to commemorate all victims of all wars – both military and civilians of all nationalities.