Juniper berries

This is the time of year when the seeds of many plants are ready to be dispersed and planted for next year. Today, during my walk on the path by my house, I found many examples of that. An easy one to spot in pretty much any neighborhood is the Juniper. It is a coniferous plant, with about 60+ species within the genus Juniperus. Some are fairly large trees, while others are low growing carpet-like shrubs. Juniperus communis, which is found a bit more toward the North than where I live in the Chicago area, is the one used in the making of gin, and culinary uses.
The berries, and its' oil have also been used by many cultures in medicines. They are not true berries, but a type of modified cone. Take a walk around your neighborhood. I bet you will be able to find at least one heavily laden Juniper tree.
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