Red cedar (Juniperus virginiana):
Red cedar grows in sunny, dry soils. It is a pioneering plant, meaning that it is one of the first plants to overgrow a fallow field. (So are black locust, black cherry and white pine).
The early and low branches of the cedar have very sharp, prickly needles that protect the young plants and the low branches of older trees from grazing. The upper and older needles are soft. It has a piney fragrant scent when crushed.
The wood of the red cedar, like black locust, is also very resistant to rotting. It can be found for years afterwards in shaded woodlands where it had once colonized a former field. It is often used as posts for fences.
If you crush the pale blue berries you will get the scent of gin for which they are the flavoring. The red wood is also very aromatic and is used in cedar closets to drive away silvermoths.
Red Cedar