This is a view of the entire plant.

Does indeed look like mite damage..and mites. At least, from what I can make out. There are actually some pretty reasonable ways to get rid of mites. For starters, there's the old strong jet of water to blast them off. Don't laugh, this can work! Next up, insecticidal soap, light horticultural oil (Summer oil) or a combo of the two. Coverage must be thorough. Beyond that, you'd be getting into miticides, which tend towards some pretty harsh chemicals. It's a nice enough plant and may well be worth saving.

+oM

Or is it scale? (Need improved image to know.) If so, a tough job to get rid of them.

could take sample to knowledgeable person for consult

Yes, in the clear light of a new day, those might be scale. Close-up shot please.

+oM

Upon closer look, I think it is scale. I fought a losing battle against scale on a tropical hibiscus houseplant about 10 years ago, and that was a very humbling experience. I sprayed insecticidal soap repeatedly with no success, then removed some leaves, then some branches, eventually moving up to stronger chemicals. I couldn't get rid of them, even after submerging the plant to ensure complete coverage. Those were a few mm across - rather large compared to these little ones, about 10x smaller.

When I look close at the Juniper, I don't see anything moving, so I no longer think they are mites. I DO notice some of the circle-in-a-circle patterns that remind me of scale, so I feel like it's over. I don't think I've got a chance of getting rid of them - there must be over a million of them. Too bad since it was doing so well and this is considered a fairly tough, worry-free plant.

Thanks for the input, +oM

Alan

Alan, while it is true that scale insects tend to be some tough customers, the situation is far from hopeless. That summer-weight oil I mentioned above is a good starting point in control. As is always true with such products, complete coverage is essential, as you clearly understand.

Timing of the exact scale insect species' crawler stage can lead to near-complete eradication too. This is the time period during which the youngins are travelling away from momma to start their own little scale homes on the foliage. I can't tell you when this is as it varies from species to species (Of insect) and place to place. Phenology charts for your area can guide you into this timeframe. During this crawler stage even soap will kill them, as they are unarmored then.

Plus, at least from the photos, it appears the infestation is limited in coverage on the plants.

+oM