Eastern white-cedar has small, flower-like woody cones.

This photo was taken in my backyard, where a white-cedar grows. Thuja occidentalis, known as northern white-cedar or arborvitae is a coniferous tree that's extremely common in the northern climates of eastern Canada. Every year it produces these intriguing small, upright cones that somewhat resemble an opened flower.

It's personally one of my favorite conifers, the foliage smells great and there's no prickly needles to annoy you. Thujas in general are long-lived species, and some specimens in Ontario are the oldest trees to grow in the province.

These trees are far more impressive in their form than their comparably tiny cones. This specimen grows directly out of rocks from a cliffside on the Niagara escarpment, one of its niche ecozones where it dominates the enviornment. Next time you see one of these long-lived trees consider just how old it may be, along with the yew (Genus: Taxus) and some types of pine, it can grow to a considerably old age. Indeed, that is where it gets the namesake as arborvitae (Latin for "Tree of life") - a suitable moniker.