Scourge of the forest

Surely the council of tree spirits palms its collective forehead and groans, that such a fool as I decided to explore the art of Bonsai. I've been out in the woods today, again, and brought back two new specimens: one blueberry and one Western Hemlock.

The blueberry I found on a trail which had recently seen the passage of some city workers. The small bushes and trees, in and around it were devastated some kind of machine. I was pleased, though, for I found this prize:

The trunk is not all that big, indeed it's small. But it's a woody trunk nonetheless, with an extensive root system, almost all of which I preserved, and it's a trunk that has new low shoots, and a cool, rooty bump (pay no attention to the little roots around the base, those are not from this plant). I really, really want to try styling a blueberry bush into a tree, and this promises to be a good first foray.

The second catch of the day is something I'm really excited to have found:

Click the picture to getting a bigger image

The trunk has an awesome bend in it, with some cool nebari (a little hard to see from this shot, and with the moss). What's more, there are many low branches, all healthy, and the trunk is quite supple in the upper regions. I think there's a lot that can be done with this tree in the future, but I'm not in a huge rush. It would take many years for a hemlock like this to stiffen its branches.

In a few months I'll decide on a tentative form and post pictures.