Rocky Mountain Juniper

Red Mountain Open Space, March 4 -  Rocky Mountain Juniper, Juniperus scopulorum, was the most evident tree on my Sunday hike.  The USDA notes that "Rocky Mountain juniper grows in prairie hillsides, fields, pastures, and occasionally in woodlands, in rocky, sandy, or clay soils," unlike the common juniper that grows as a low shrub in the woods near Laramie.  USU states that Rocky Mountain juniper "grows well on open, exposed bluffs, rocky points, or ridgetops, on southern exposures and in ravines or canyons. It is found (up to) 9,000 feet elevation."  In the following photo from my hike, the juniper shares a sunny ridge with  dormant mountain-mahogany and small ponderosa pines.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, this species is one of thirteen native North American junipers and is similar to the eastern red cedar, although more drought tolerant.  It produces the recognizable 'juniper berries' that many birds rely on for food. 

USU also wrote that this species is "Often used in windbreaks due to its toughness and retention of lower branches."  The wind was gusting fairly hard at times on Sunday, and a nice, big juniper provided just the needed windbreak for lunch.  I sat on the southerly side of the tree in the warm sunshine and had a pleasant, juniper-scented picnic.