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From last year's archives. Processed with an artistic painting effect. At Kill Creek Park in Johnson County, KS.
This summer I found a couple of shrikes hanging out in an old Juniper in SW Colorado near the Utah border. I thought perhaps one was a younster still learning to hunt or something but I could see no sign of a nest and thought it was too late in the year for a pair to be thinking about mating. Back in March I came across a shrike in Northern Utah that had a tree all staked out and was calling and chasing other birds away from it. So I imagine if they are breeding in late March / April that these two birds would have represented an adult and a youngster.
Shrikes are interesting birds due to their hunting and killing style of impaling prey on sharp objects. I imagine that takes some special training of the young ones by the parents. Much more training for instance than say a Robin needs to give its young as they fledge.
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Six Mile Run, Franklin, NJ
Juniper branch berries.
Actually, these are neither fruits nor berries. Strictly botanically speaking, fruits are the mature, ripened ovaries of flowering plants (Angiosperms). Berries are fleshy fruits of some flowering plants with seeds distributed throughout the interior.
Junipers are Gymnosperms. These "berries" are simply fleshy cones, not fruits at all.
And that concludes Professor McGovern's botany lesson for the day.
BTW, I'm not certain which species of juniper (Juniperus) this is; there are several species found throughout the western U.S.
Juniper is definitely "cool." She's outgoing but not a social butterfly; she marches to the beat of her own drum. She's the token tomboy of the group, and loves most sports, though she's not competitive. If it looks fun, she'll try anything once!
Again with the open-mouthed girls...I really don't like them! I loved Gavin and Reese from the Vintage Vinyl collection, and somehow ended up with a Rufus Blue instead. Something about her sculpt suggested a lot of character to me and so she won out over the other two. No regrets!
Juniper Dunes Wilderness: The Juniper Dunes Wilderness preserves the northernmost growth of western juniper, some of which have been around for 150 years, along with windswept sand dunes measuring 130 feet in height and 1,000 feet in width. Other than junipers, no trees grow in significant numbers here, but many bushes and flowers bloom wondrously come spring, although the mountains that separate western and eastern Washington generally wring the moisture from the air. The landscape here takes quite a battering, in fact, with strong southwest winds to build the dunes, seven to eight inches of precipitation to moisten them, a foot or so of snow that drifts down in winter, and summer temperatures that occasionally rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Elevations range from 750 feet to 1,130 feet above sea level. But plenty of animals thrive despite the extremes: mule deer, bobcats, coyotes, badgers, skunks, weasels, porcupines, pocket gophers, kangaroo rats, several species of mice, hawks, owls, ravens, quail, partridge, pheasants, doves, numerous songbirds, and rattlesnakes.\
Photo credit: BLM
For more photos of the Juniper Dunes Wilderness, visit: www.flickr.com/photos/blmoregon/sets/72157638958357623/
For more information about the Juniper Dunes Wilderness, visit: www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/wilderness2.php
Nice smelling, spiky leaves. Always reminding carefree days of camping with only a towel and a light tent.
See my: Όλα Τέντα τον Αύγουστο
Earl Rowe camping always leads to hiking the trails and for some reason I have never noticed the Juniper berries before
The second brood of Juniper Hairstreaks are out. I always look forward to seeing this beauty. Sykesville Quad.
A juniper berry is the female seed cone produced by the various species of junipers. It is not a true berry but a cone with unusually fleshy and merged scales called a galbulus, which gives it a berry-like appearance. The cones from a handful of species, especially Juniperus communis, are used as a spice, particularly in European cuisine, and also give gin its distinctive flavor.
The green needles of the Juniper turning brown, suspected of dying due to lack of nutrition extracted from the frozen ground..but give it another year before deciding to chop it off the property, it might surprise you again with green needles!
You can see rest ride photos of 28th January 2024 to Hawes Water near Sliverdale at this link on my website www.thebrewstop.co.uk/january-2024-day-gallery/28thjanuar...
Juniper berries are in the fields. The berries are delicious! Looking down I see the stars on a clear night, the Milky Way and planets floating in galaxies. A friend said that the berries each have a different taste and I agree, some like pie, toast, pine, a little gamy. They turn a perfect blue colour - like our planet.
Old picture from Pioneer village AZ with a new background of a Alligator Juniper bark from Mingus mountain
LA: Juniperus communis
EN: Common juniper
DE: Gewöhnlicher Wacholder
HU: Közönséges boróka
The small shrub or tree can be found in the entire holarctic region. Depending on its location and environment, it can have different shapes (tree or low growing shrub).
Prefers dry, stony or sandy grounds.
The dark blue berries are used dried as spice. Or as a basis or flavoring for alcoholic beverages. (Try the Slovak Borovička.)
The wood has a pleasant scent due to the essential oils it contains. As the tree grows very slow, its wood is dense and hard. Hence its wood is often used for tools in Nordic areas.
The berries, cones, and even the wood is applied in herbal medicine.
Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere as far south as tropical Africa, including the Arctic, parts of Asia, and Central America. The highest-known juniper forest occurs at an altitude of 4,900 metres (16,100 ft) in southeastern Tibet and the northern Himalayas, creating one of the highest tree lines on earth.
Junipers vary in size and shape from tall trees, 20–40 metres (66–131 feet) tall, to columnar or low-spreading shrubs with long, trailing branches. They are evergreen with needle-like and/or scale-like leaves. They can be either monoecious or dioecious. The female seed cones are very distinctive, with fleshy, fruit-like coalescing scales which fuse together to form a berrylike structure (galbulus), 4–27 millimetres (3⁄16–1+1⁄16 inches) long, with one to 12 unwinged, hard-shelled seeds. In some species, these "berries" are red-brown or orange, but in most, they are blue; they are often aromatic and can be used as a spice. The seed maturation time varies between species from 6 to 18 months after pollination. The male cones are similar to the other Cupressaceae, with 6 to 20 scales.
In hardiness zones 7 through 10, junipers can bloom and release pollen several times each year. Different junipers bloom in autumn, while most pollinate from early winter until late spring.
Many junipers (e.g. J. chinensis, J. virginiana) have two types of leaves; seedlings and some twigs of older trees have needle-like leaves 5–25 mm (3⁄16–1 in) long, on mature plants the leaves are overlapping like (mostly) tiny scales, measuring 2–4 mm (3⁄32–5⁄32 in). When juvenile foliage occurs on mature plants, it is most often found on shaded shoots, with adult foliage in full sunlight. Leaves on fast-growing 'whip' shoots are often intermediate between juvenile and adult.
In some species (e.g. J. communis, J. squamata), all the foliage is of the juvenile needle-like type, with no scale leaves. In some of these (e.g. J. communis), the needles are jointed at the base, while in others (e.g. J. squamata), the needles merge smoothly with the stem. The needle leaves of junipers are hard and sharp, making the juvenile foliage very prickly to handle. This can be a valuable identification feature in seedlings, as the otherwise very similar juvenile foliage of cypresses (Cupressus, Chamaecyparis) and other related genera are soft and not prickly.
Junipers are gymnosperms, which means they have seeds, but no flowers or fruits. Depending on the species, the seeds they produce take 1–3 years to develop. The impermeable coat of the seed keeps water from getting in and protects the embryo when dispersed. It can also result in a long dormancy that is usually broken by physically damaging the seed coat. Dispersal can occur from being swallowed whole by frugivores and mammals. The resistance of the seed coat allows it to be passed down through the digestive system without being destroyed along the way. These seeds last a long time, as they can be dispersed long distances over the course of a few years.
Juniper plants thrive in a variety of environments. The junipers from Lahaul valley can be found in dry, rocky locations planted in stony soils. Grazing animals and the villagers are rapidly using up these plants. There are several important features of the leaves and wood of this plant that cause villagers to cut down these trees and make use of them. Additionally, the western juniper plants, a particular species in the juniper genus, are found in woodlands where there are large, open spaces. Junipers are known to encompass open areas so that they have more exposure to rainfall. Decreases in fires and a lack of livestock grazing are the two major causes of western juniper takeover. This invasion of junipers is driving changes in the environment. For instance, the ecosystem for other species previously living in the environment and farm animals has been compromised. When junipers increase in population, there is a decrease in woody species like mountain big sagebrush and aspen. Among the juniper trees themselves, there is increased competition, which results in a decrease in berry production. Herbaceous cover decreases, and junipers are often mistaken for weeds. As a result, several farmers have thinned the juniper trees or removed them completely. However, this reduction did not result in any significant difference on wildlife survival. Some small mammals found it advantageous to have thinner juniper trees, while cutting down the entire tree was not favorable.
Some junipers are susceptible to Gymnosporangium rust disease and can be a serious problem for those people growing apple trees, an alternate host of the disease.
Juniper is the exclusive food plant of the larvae of some moths and butterflies, including Bucculatrix inusitata, juniper carpet, Chionodes electella, Chionodes viduella, juniper pug, and pine beauty. Those of the tortrix moth Cydia duplicana feed on the bark around injuries or canker.
In drier areas, juniper pollen easily becomes airborne and can be inhaled into the lungs. This pollen can also irritate the skin and cause contact dermatitis. Cross-allergenic reactions are common between juniper pollen and the pollen of all species of cypress.
Monoecious juniper plants are highly allergenic, with an Ogren Plant Allergy Scale (OPALS) rating of 9 out of 10.[citation needed] Completely male juniper plants have an OPALS rating of 10, and release abundant amounts of pollen. Conversely, all-female juniper plants have an OPALS rating of 1, and are considered "allergy-fighting".
Most species of juniper are flexible and have a high compression strength-to-weight ratio. This has made the wood a traditional choice for the construction of hunting bows among some of the Native American cultures in the Great Basin region. These bow staves are typically backed with sinew to provide tension strength that the wood may lack.
Ancient Mesopotamians believed that juniper oil could be used to ward off the evil eye.
Embalming vessels in the burial chambers from a 26th Dynasty embalming workshop at Saqqara have shown the usage of Juniper oil/tar.
Some Indigenous peoples of the Americas use juniper in traditional medicine; for instance the Dineh (Navajo), who use it for diabetes. Juniper ash has also been historically consumed as a source of calcium by the Navajo people.
Juniper is traditionally used in Scottish folkloric and Gaelic Polytheist saining rites, such as those performed at Hogmanay (New Year), where the smoke of burning juniper, accompanied by traditional prayers and other customary rites, is used to cleanse, bless, and protect the household and its inhabitants.
Local people in Lahaul Valley present juniper leaves to their deities as a folk tradition. It is also useful as a folk remedy for pains and aches, as well as epilepsy and asthma. They are reported to collect large amounts of juniper leaves and wood for building and religious purposes.
Juniper berries are a spice used in a wide variety of culinary dishes and are best known for the primary flavoring in gin (and responsible for gin's name, which is a shortening of the Dutch word for juniper, jenever). A juniper-based spirit is made by fermenting juniper berries and water to create a "wine" that is then distilled. This is often sold as a juniper brandy in eastern Europe. Juniper berries are also used as the primary flavor in the liquor jenever. Juniper berry sauce is often a popular flavoring choice for quail, pheasant, veal, rabbit, venison, and other game dishes.
A tea can be made from the young twigs. Twigs or needles are used to flavour the traditional Finnish junperbeer, sahti as well.
Dense and rot resistant, the irregular trunks of junipers have been used as fence posts and firewood. Stands that produce enough wood for specialty uses generally go under the common name "cedar", including Juniperus virginiana, the "red cedar" that is used widely in cedar drawers and closets. The lack of space or a hyphen between the words "red" and "cedar" is sometimes used to indicate that this species is not a true cedar (Cedrus).
Juniper in weave is a traditional cladding technique used in Northern Europe, e.g. at Havrå, Norway.
Juniper berries are steam distilled to produce an essential oil that may vary from colorless to yellow or pale green. Some of its chemical components are terpenoids and aromatic compounds, such as cadinene, a sesquiterpene.
Junipers are among the most popular conifers to be cultivated as ornamental subjects for parks and gardens. They have been bred over many years to produce a wide range of forms, in terms of colour, shape and size. They include some of the dwarfest (miniature) cultivars. They are also used for bonsai. Some species found in cultivation include:
Juniperus chinensis
Juniperus communis
Juniperus horizontalis
Juniperus × pfitzeriana
Juniperus procumbens
Juniperus rigida
Juniperus scopulorum
Juniperus squamata
They call it Cottonwood Cove but I didn't see any Cottonwood trees. The Junipers, however, were very healthy. this one, laden with berries, was one of the larger ones. Some of these trees are hundreds of years old.
This is a Juniper Hairstreak. I thought it might be a Sweadner's Juniper Hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus sweadneri) but BugGuide just called it Juniper. These green beauties are also called Olive Hairstreaks.
Juniper belongs to the pine family (Cupressaceae). Juniper has diuretic, antiseptic, stomachic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antirheumatic properties. The tree’s therapeutic properties stem from a volatile oil found in the berries. This oil contains terpenes, flavonoid glycosides, tannins, sugar, tar, and resin.
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