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Is it natural to say on a tree when there is something on a tree trunk, not on a branch just like the squirrel in the picture below? enter image description here If it's not natural, what would the best choice of preposition to describe the location of the squirrel?

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    Ooh, red squirrel... we don't have them any more in England. I wish I could see one.
    – James K
    Commented Sep 20, 2020 at 18:28

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"There's a squirrel on the tree" is fine and perfectly natural.

If you wanted to be more specific then (noting it's near the bottom of the trunk in your picture) you could say "There's a squirrel near the bottom of the tree" or (if it's moving) "There's a squirrel climbing down the tree" or "running down the tree".

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  • Thank you for the answer! Can I also say "the squirrel is up a tree" in the situation?
    – Dmytro O'Hope
    Commented Sep 20, 2020 at 10:57
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    In terms of "a"/"the", if you knew or recognised the squirrel (or had referred to it previously), you might say "the squirrel ... a tree". Otherwise, you'd be more likely to say "a squirrel... the tree" (or "a squirrel... that tree"). In terms of "up a tree" / "up the tree", that would be fine colloquially, but not in this instance - we'd only say it was up the tree if it was nearer the top, perhaps above the halfway point.
    – rjpond
    Commented Sep 20, 2020 at 11:15

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