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Posts tagged #EasternRedCedar

CaptainDave🖖
CaptainDave🖖
@cptdave1701.bsky.social
1 month ago
Post image

Eastern Red Cedar, Colony Shoreline Trail, January 2026, Winter Storm

#Androidphotography #AmateurPhotography #Texas #Dendrology #EasternRedCedar #Nature

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TKG
TKG
@tkg-nc.bsky.social
2 months ago
<Alt Text 1 of 4> You can find this tree in the wild ranging from Canada to Maine, as far west as South Dakota, the Great Plains, as far south as Texas and into parts of Florida. It’s mainly seen along the Atlantic coast and it may be the most widespread conifer in the Eastern United States. You might even have one of these trees in your backyard and may not even realize it yet because it’s sapling form looks different than its mature form. The tree in question is the Eastern Red Cedar and it’s botanical latin name is (Juniperus virginiana) which means it is related to Common Juniper (J. communis) which is used to make Gin. Eastern Red Cedars are in the Cypress Family (Cupressaceae) which means they are a medium sized tree with an average height range of thirty of almost seventy feet tall. Since they are a Cypress Eastern Red Cedars are evergreen and their leaves are small and scale like in shape. The shape of the leaves changes as an Eastern Red Cedar matures; when they are saplings the leaves can be almost needle like with sharp points. This can make identification in the field difficult as a small Eastern Red Cedar can look like a different species of Juniper. The sharp scales in the younger plants evolved as a defense against grazing so that Saplings have a better chance of maturing and carrying on the species. For example Deer are known to graze on Eastern Red Cedars when other food is scarce and they prefer the younger softer foliage and the twigs. This can of course be life or death for a sapling so the spines evolved to make the young plants even less palatable. Speaking of carrying on the species; typically Eastern Red Cedars are dioecious meaning there are separate male and female trees but rare specimens are monecious meaning they are both male and female at the same time. In the pictures I’ve included you can see tiny brown tips on some of the stems, those are the plant’s tiny cones. Female Eastern Red Cedar cones mature in the fall, <Alt Text 1 of 4>

<Alt Text 1 of 4> You can find this tree in the wild ranging from Canada to Maine, as far west as South Dakota, the Great Plains, as far south as Texas and into parts of Florida. It’s mainly seen along the Atlantic coast and it may be the most widespread conifer in the Eastern United States. You might even have one of these trees in your backyard and may not even realize it yet because it’s sapling form looks different than its mature form. The tree in question is the Eastern Red Cedar and it’s botanical latin name is (Juniperus virginiana) which means it is related to Common Juniper (J. communis) which is used to make Gin. Eastern Red Cedars are in the Cypress Family (Cupressaceae) which means they are a medium sized tree with an average height range of thirty of almost seventy feet tall. Since they are a Cypress Eastern Red Cedars are evergreen and their leaves are small and scale like in shape. The shape of the leaves changes as an Eastern Red Cedar matures; when they are saplings the leaves can be almost needle like with sharp points. This can make identification in the field difficult as a small Eastern Red Cedar can look like a different species of Juniper. The sharp scales in the younger plants evolved as a defense against grazing so that Saplings have a better chance of maturing and carrying on the species. For example Deer are known to graze on Eastern Red Cedars when other food is scarce and they prefer the younger softer foliage and the twigs. This can of course be life or death for a sapling so the spines evolved to make the young plants even less palatable. Speaking of carrying on the species; typically Eastern Red Cedars are dioecious meaning there are separate male and female trees but rare specimens are monecious meaning they are both male and female at the same time. In the pictures I’ve included you can see tiny brown tips on some of the stems, those are the plant’s tiny cones. Female Eastern Red Cedar cones mature in the fall, <Alt Text 1 of 4>

<Alt Text 2 of 4> September and October. The ones in the photo are the male cones which are found at the tips of branches. The female cones form the Juniper “berries” that we are familiar with. I put the word berries in quotes because they too are a type of cone called a Aril botanically because it’s not a true berry in the botanical sense. Female cones on the Eastern Red Cedar are a modified cone with fused fleshy scales that is specifically called a Galbulus (plural Galbuli) which is specific to the female cones of Junipers and Cypress. In the wild you will find Eastern Red Cedars growing in fields, pastures, prairie hill sides, and woodlands with a wide range of soil types. Red cedar is oddly is not often found in the high mountains of the New England States nor in the Allegheny Mountains. This wide range is because Eastern Red Cedars are a pioneer species meaning it’s one of the first trees to repopulate a disturbed site and by pioneer species standards it is unusually long lived with some specimens living longer than millennia. The oldest known individuals can be found in West Virginia (940 years), A Missouri specimen (LTD95A at 795 years old), A number of Iowa trees in the Palisades-Kepler state park are said to be in the 400 year old range. So for a Pioneer species Eastern Red Cedar has some impressive staying power in the natural landscape. With all the hard details covered we have to move on to how you can use these lovely native trees in your landscape. In a generalized sense Eastern Red Cedars in the urban landscape are great when used as Windbreaks; in fact they are sol tolerant of windy conditions that they were used to offset the windy conditions of the Dust Bowl in the 1930’s. Given that they are a pioneer species Eastern Red Cedar is tolerant of a wide range of soils, salt intrusion, brackish marshy soils and even the sandy dunes at the coast. Historically Eastern Red Cedars have been used as hedges screens and as specimen trees and <Alt Text 2 of 4>

<Alt Text 2 of 4> September and October. The ones in the photo are the male cones which are found at the tips of branches. The female cones form the Juniper “berries” that we are familiar with. I put the word berries in quotes because they too are a type of cone called a Aril botanically because it’s not a true berry in the botanical sense. Female cones on the Eastern Red Cedar are a modified cone with fused fleshy scales that is specifically called a Galbulus (plural Galbuli) which is specific to the female cones of Junipers and Cypress. In the wild you will find Eastern Red Cedars growing in fields, pastures, prairie hill sides, and woodlands with a wide range of soil types. Red cedar is oddly is not often found in the high mountains of the New England States nor in the Allegheny Mountains. This wide range is because Eastern Red Cedars are a pioneer species meaning it’s one of the first trees to repopulate a disturbed site and by pioneer species standards it is unusually long lived with some specimens living longer than millennia. The oldest known individuals can be found in West Virginia (940 years), A Missouri specimen (LTD95A at 795 years old), A number of Iowa trees in the Palisades-Kepler state park are said to be in the 400 year old range. So for a Pioneer species Eastern Red Cedar has some impressive staying power in the natural landscape. With all the hard details covered we have to move on to how you can use these lovely native trees in your landscape. In a generalized sense Eastern Red Cedars in the urban landscape are great when used as Windbreaks; in fact they are sol tolerant of windy conditions that they were used to offset the windy conditions of the Dust Bowl in the 1930’s. Given that they are a pioneer species Eastern Red Cedar is tolerant of a wide range of soils, salt intrusion, brackish marshy soils and even the sandy dunes at the coast. Historically Eastern Red Cedars have been used as hedges screens and as specimen trees and <Alt Text 2 of 4>

<Alt Text 3 of 4> and you can see the latter use if you to downtown Fayetteville and look in the older Cemeteries. Some of those Eastern Red Cedars were trimmed as shrubs at one point and with age became full-on trees as the decades passed. Another advantage is that they don’t drop messy fruit, their berries and cones do not attract unwanted attention from insects and, when trimmed properly they are effective as a shade tree. What the trees do attract are Wild birds such as the Cedar Waxwing. Red Cedars are not idea for small shallow planting areas as they develop deep root systems but are not known for heaving sidewalks and curbs which is another bonus. As a final bit good of information about Eastern Red Cedar, Eastern Red Cedar is well regarded in wood crafting and its aromatic nature repels clothing moths and other insects. The heart wood of Eastern Red Cedar is reddish or violet-brown in color while the sap wood is pale yellow and is referred for use in furniture, fence posts, outdoor furniture and other carvings. With that said, its shavings are used in the home to repel insects but its loose grindings are used as mulch in the garden. In an herbal light, the wood of this tree is a mild antiseptic. Many Native American groups used it for incense for ritual purification and parts of this tree are burned in sweat lodges. The Blackfeet made a tea from its berries to halt vomiting but it was also used to handle Arthritis and Rheumatism. The Blackfeet boiled eastern Red Cedar leaves in water added a half teaspoon of turpentine and then rubbed the mix on effected areas. The Cheyenne steeped the leaves of Red Cedar and drank the tea to alleviate persistent coughing or congestion in the throat that would cause coughing. This tea was also said to produce sedative effects and was useful for calming hyperactivity. Cheyenne women drank Red Cedar tea to speed delivery during child birth. <Alt Text 3 of 4>

<Alt Text 3 of 4> and you can see the latter use if you to downtown Fayetteville and look in the older Cemeteries. Some of those Eastern Red Cedars were trimmed as shrubs at one point and with age became full-on trees as the decades passed. Another advantage is that they don’t drop messy fruit, their berries and cones do not attract unwanted attention from insects and, when trimmed properly they are effective as a shade tree. What the trees do attract are Wild birds such as the Cedar Waxwing. Red Cedars are not idea for small shallow planting areas as they develop deep root systems but are not known for heaving sidewalks and curbs which is another bonus. As a final bit good of information about Eastern Red Cedar, Eastern Red Cedar is well regarded in wood crafting and its aromatic nature repels clothing moths and other insects. The heart wood of Eastern Red Cedar is reddish or violet-brown in color while the sap wood is pale yellow and is referred for use in furniture, fence posts, outdoor furniture and other carvings. With that said, its shavings are used in the home to repel insects but its loose grindings are used as mulch in the garden. In an herbal light, the wood of this tree is a mild antiseptic. Many Native American groups used it for incense for ritual purification and parts of this tree are burned in sweat lodges. The Blackfeet made a tea from its berries to halt vomiting but it was also used to handle Arthritis and Rheumatism. The Blackfeet boiled eastern Red Cedar leaves in water added a half teaspoon of turpentine and then rubbed the mix on effected areas. The Cheyenne steeped the leaves of Red Cedar and drank the tea to alleviate persistent coughing or congestion in the throat that would cause coughing. This tea was also said to produce sedative effects and was useful for calming hyperactivity. Cheyenne women drank Red Cedar tea to speed delivery during child birth. <Alt Text 3 of 4>

<Alt Text 4 of 4> The one major downside to growing Eastern Red Cedar is that they are a host plant for a fungal disease called Cedar-Apple Rust (Gymnosporangium juniper-virginianae) which you know is going to be bad when the latin name of the fungus specifically mentions a plant’s full name. Getting your full latin name in the scientific name of a pathogen is pretty much the botanical equivalent of when your parents were really mad and used your full name. Cedar Apple Rust is a fungal disease with a two-year life cycle that represents itself on Junipers and Cedars as small swellings on twigs that swell into golf ball sized galls by the fall. In the following spring after a period of rain those galls sprout bright orange jelly-like tentacle looking protrusions that look like something right out of a B-grade science fiction movie. Those orange things are called Telial Horns and they release spores which infect Apple Trees. From there the fungus spears as yellow spots that turn orange-red on the leaves of nearby apple trees. The infected Apple trees can develop reddish-range cracked areas on their fruit making them inedible and also suffer an early leaf drop which after a few years can kill your Apple trees. The only sure is to remove and destroy infected tissue on apple trees and then treat with a fungicide specifically for the Cedar-Apple Rust Fungus or a Copper-Sulfur formulation. Unfortunately the general advice for treating this fungal disease on a cedar is to destroy the cedar. The only exception is if the Cedar is a specimen of note where using fungicide to preserve it is easier than culling. I have to note that the wood from an infected cedar is still useful as firewood as burning destroys the pathogen even if dormant. If you catch an infection before the ‘tentacle-gall’ stage and remove all galls you may became to break the pathogen’s life cycle and manage the disease long enough to make it a non-threat. <Alt Text 4 of 4>

<Alt Text 4 of 4> The one major downside to growing Eastern Red Cedar is that they are a host plant for a fungal disease called Cedar-Apple Rust (Gymnosporangium juniper-virginianae) which you know is going to be bad when the latin name of the fungus specifically mentions a plant’s full name. Getting your full latin name in the scientific name of a pathogen is pretty much the botanical equivalent of when your parents were really mad and used your full name. Cedar Apple Rust is a fungal disease with a two-year life cycle that represents itself on Junipers and Cedars as small swellings on twigs that swell into golf ball sized galls by the fall. In the following spring after a period of rain those galls sprout bright orange jelly-like tentacle looking protrusions that look like something right out of a B-grade science fiction movie. Those orange things are called Telial Horns and they release spores which infect Apple Trees. From there the fungus spears as yellow spots that turn orange-red on the leaves of nearby apple trees. The infected Apple trees can develop reddish-range cracked areas on their fruit making them inedible and also suffer an early leaf drop which after a few years can kill your Apple trees. The only sure is to remove and destroy infected tissue on apple trees and then treat with a fungicide specifically for the Cedar-Apple Rust Fungus or a Copper-Sulfur formulation. Unfortunately the general advice for treating this fungal disease on a cedar is to destroy the cedar. The only exception is if the Cedar is a specimen of note where using fungicide to preserve it is easier than culling. I have to note that the wood from an infected cedar is still useful as firewood as burning destroys the pathogen even if dormant. If you catch an infection before the ‘tentacle-gall’ stage and remove all galls you may became to break the pathogen’s life cycle and manage the disease long enough to make it a non-threat. <Alt Text 4 of 4>

The Wild Harvest Digest: January 2026, #2

Good Morning Neighbors,

Today’s plant is one you’ve certainly encountered but may have not given much thought to because it’s native to a wide swathe of North America making it fairly common. #EasternRedCedar #Native

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Tim O'Connell
Tim O'Connell
@tinosaurs.bsky.social
2 months ago
Wine-red and straw-yellow wood chips from an eastern redcedar, photographed in close-up on a plate that makes them kind of look like beef jerky or pulled pork barbecue.

Wine-red and straw-yellow wood chips from an eastern redcedar, photographed in close-up on a plate that makes them kind of look like beef jerky or pulled pork barbecue.

"Be a leader; kill a cedar."

It's a weird mantra if you're not an #ecologist living in the #GreatPlains, but one of our biggest problems is #fire #suppression that has provided an ecological release for #EasternRedcedar.

So, we chopped one down. It was a good day.

#restoration

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Marchpane's Ghost 👻👑
Marchpane's Ghost 👻👑
@marchpaneglass.bsky.social
4 months ago
A line of Eastern red cedar trees have turned bright copper at the edge of a walking path. Behind them there is a green field and a bright blue cloudless sky above.

A line of Eastern red cedar trees have turned bright copper at the edge of a walking path. Behind them there is a green field and a bright blue cloudless sky above.

This morning after taking the dogs for a big walk, we stopped at a farmers market for fresh baked bread, apple cider donuts, and eggs. I love fall.

#fall #autumn #easternredcedar #woods #trees #eastcoastkin #whimsy #photography #beautifulday #Sunday #November

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Tim O'Connell
Tim O'Connell
@tinosaurs.bsky.social
1 year ago
Happy, perhaps a bit deranged-looking, middle-aged white dude emerging from a dense grove of evergreens in tan pants, an olive jacket, and a tweed flat cap. He's excitedly pointing to his left.

Happy, perhaps a bit deranged-looking, middle-aged white dude emerging from a dense grove of evergreens in tan pants, an olive jacket, and a tweed flat cap. He's excitedly pointing to his left.

POV: You're on a field trip to find a #LongEaredOwl and I'm telling you that one went thataway!

#birds #ornithology #owl #roost #AsioOtus #birding #Oklahoma #JuniperusVirginiana #EasternRedCedar

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Myra Hipke Richardson
Myra Hipke Richardson
@myrahipke.bsky.social
10 years ago
Post image

In 5 hours, one Robin can pass 900 #easternredcedar berries. That's a lot of ERC planting. #rangelands #conservation http://t.co/6Pbq1vNNwP

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