Almost any native trees are better than exotic stuff, but if you haven't experience or knowledge re how and when to dig what, get in touch with local bonsai clubs and they'll help you. The timing is very important and how you do it matters a lot too - it's not like just digging up something out there and plonking it in your backyard :-). But not that different either. You'll have to wait for spring now of course.

Probably one or two:

PINE PINACEA

Eastern White Pine Pinus Strobus
Compacta
Contorta
Fastigiata
Fastigata var. glauca
Minima
Nana
Pindula
Prostrata
Pumila

Jack Pine Pinus Banksiana
Uncle fogy

Red Pine Pinus Resinosa

Short Leaf Pine Pinus Echinata

Virginia Pine Pinus Virginiana

Pitch Pine Pinus Rigda
Sherman Eddy
Little Giant

LARCH LARIX

Tamarack Larix Laricina

SPRUCE PICEA

Black spruce Picea Mariana
Doumetii
Nana
Ericoides
White Spruce Picea Glauca
Albertiana
Conica
Densata

HEMLOCK TSUGA

Canadian Hemlock Tsuga Canadensis
100's of cultivars all of which are Canadensis

FIR ABIES

Balsam Fir Abies Balsamea
Hudsonia
Nana

BALD CYPRESS TAXODIUM DISTICHUM

Monach of Illinois
Pendens
Shawnee Brave

YEW TAXUS

Canadian Yew Taxus Canadensis
Stricta Pyramidalis

CEDAR - CYPRESS CUPRESSACEAE

Northern White Cedar Thuja Occidentalis
100's of cultivars
Aurea
Canadian Green
Douglasii Aurea
Emerald
Globosa
Little Gem

JUNIPER JUNIPERUS

Common Juniper Juniperus Communis
Compressa
Depressa
Depressa Aurea
Green Carpet

Eastern Red Cedar Juniperus Virginiana
Canaetii
Cupressifolia
Glauca
Globosa
Kosteri
Pyramidalis

Creeping Juniper Juniperus Horizontalis
Admirabilis
Bar Harbor
Blue Mat
Emerald Spreader
Hughes
Plumosa
Plumosa Fountian
Wiltonii Blue Rug

WILLOW SALIX

Pussy Willow Salix Discolor

BIRCH BETULA

Paper Birch Betula Papyrifera
Yellow Birch Betula Alleghaniensis
River Birch Betula Nigra

OAK QUERCUS

White Oak Quercus Alba
Bur Oak Quercus Macrocarpa
Chesnut Oak Quercus Prinus
Swamp White Oak Quercus Bicolor
Chinkapin Oak Quercus Muehlenbergii
Northern Red Oak Quercus Rubra
Black Oak Quercus Velutina
Pin Oak Quercus Palustris
Northern Pin Oak Quercus Ellipsoidalis
Shingle Oak Quercus Imbricaria

HOP - HORNBEAM OSTRYA

Eastern Hop-Hornbeam Ostrya Virginiana

HORNBEAM CARPINUS

American Hormbeam Carpinus Caroliniana

BEECH FAGUS

American Beech Fagus Grandifolia

ELM ULMUS

American Elm Ulmus Americana
Slippery Elm Ulmus Rubra
Rock Elm Ulmus Thomasii

HACKBERRY CELTIS

American Hackberry Celtis Occidentalis

WITCH - HAZEL HAMAMELIS

Common Witch-Hazel Hamamelis Virginiana

APPLE MALUS

Sweet Crabapple Malus Coronaria
Prairie Crabapple Malus Ioensis

CHERRIES & PLUMS PRUNUS

Black Cherry Prunus Serotina
Pin Cherry Prunus Pensylvanica
Common Chokecherry Prunus Virginiana
American Plum Prunus Americana
Canada Plum Prunus Nigra

SERVICE BERRIES AMELANCHIER

Allegheny Serviceberry Amelanchier laevis

HAWTHORNS CRATAEGUS

Frosted Hawthorn Crataegus Pruinosa
Scarlet Hawthorn Crataegus Pedicellata
Cockspur Hawthorn Crataegus Galli
Downy Hawthorn Crataegus Mollis

REDBUD CERCIS

Eastern Redbud Cercis Canadensis

MAPLE ACER

Sugar Maple Acer Saccharum
Black Maple Acer Nigrum
Red Maple Acer Fubrum
Striped Maple Acer Pensylavanicum
Mountain Maple Acer Spicatum
Silver Maple Acer Sacharinum

HORSE CHESTNUT AESCULUS

Yellow Buckeye Aesculus Octandra
Ohio Buckeye Aesculus Glabra

DOGWOOD CORNACEA

Flowering Dogwood Cornus Florida
Alternate-leaf Dogwood Cornus Alternifolia
Rough leaf Dogwood Cornus Drummandii
Red-Osier Dogwood Cornus Stolanifera

TUPELO NYSSA

Black Tupelo Nyssa Sylvatica

LAUREL KALMIA

Mountain Laurel Kalmia Latifolia

RHODODENDRON RHODODENDRON

Rose bay Rhododendron Rhododendron Latifolia

PERSIMMON DIOSPYROS

Common Persimmon Diospyros Virginiana

mababonsai.org

© Copyright 2014 Mid-America Bonsai Alliance and the individual authors.

Al

All of these trees can be bonsai? Some are surprising given the size of their leaves or needles.

Thanks for posting!

It's MABA's list, not mine. I agree that some of the trees don't seem to be prime bonsai candidates. I posted mainly to illustrate there are probably a lot more opportunities growing wild than most of us might guess.

Al