Small green needles with a prickly point. Juniper is dioecious so the male and female flowers grown on separate plants. Once pollinated by wind the female flowers develop into fleshy purple berries.
The berries are popular for flavouring gin but they are equally favoured by birds who eat the berries.
Juniper is also an important habitat for small mammals and nesting birds due the dense cover that it provides.
There are several junipers on the hill beside the ski slope, and I've long wanted to plant some more at Hillend.