Now is the time to scout for the Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae galls on Juniperus (juniper) species. Although not life-threatening to either of its hosts (junipers and plants in the apple family), you can remove the galls from junipers during their combat period. This doesn’t curb the spread as the spores can travel on the wind for up to 5 miles. I find it fun to see the different sizes of the galls as they range from 1/2” to about 2”. Be aware there are also galls for cedar-hawthorn rust and cedar-quince rust and they look the same. Unfortunately, when it lands on the other host it usually attacks the berries.
KH