is this suppose to happen?

[Dave E]

my son and i each got a dwarf japanese juniper this spring.the tiny needles were what we were most attracted to.
this past week we saw these forming on one of them and cut them off.

is this something we want to get rid of? or should they stay for the health of the tree?

 

[Cadillactaste]

Actually that is the mature foliage for that tree. Which is a good sign...it means it's happy and healthy. As to pruning them off...I will let someone else take that one. Because I am relatively new to conifers.

 

[Arcto]

Your first pic shows juvenile foliage. As the juniper starts maturing it puts out adult foliage that your second picture shows. Totally normal. Removing the adult foliage keeps the plant in a juvenile stage longer and sets back and weakens the plant. Most bonsai practitioners prefer the adult foliage for the appearance of age it gives, the long term health of the tree, and last but not least, the comfort of being able to work on a tree without being constantly pricked.