Juniper and Mistletoe

My parent’s property has some beautiful specimens of California Juniper. Some of them have a semi-invasive species of mistletoe attached to them. To get rid of it you need to cut the branch all the way down to the trunk. I had no idea how hard that would be! Not only the physical strength to cut the branch, but I had to maneuver my way into the bush to get down to the trunk! My body position was a bit wonky, it was raining and the wind was howling. I was filthy dirty, soaking wet, and worked!

But darn it, if it wasn’t one of the most satisfying days I’ve spent working!

I enjoyed harvesting some Juniper Berries and kicking back in the middle of pretty giant specimen when the work was done.