As always when walking around the garden, I kept my eye out for new critters and was not disappointed on the fern walk. First I caught a large Rana clamitans in the almost dry vernal pool at the rear of the gardens.

Then Peter Kwon one of the natural areas interns pointed out this beautifully colored spider right across the path from the pool. After some research I discovered it was Leucauge venusta the ORchard Spider. This colorful arachnid has a range stretching from eastern Canada all the way down to Panama, I love it when life displays that kind of adaptability.