red eft

The red eft is the land dwelling life stage of the aquatic Eastern Newt (or red spotted newt).
I'd never seen one of these in an escarpment forest - but during their adolescence they spend a couple of years bouncing around the block before heading off to reproduce and decompose in a nearby pond.
Resist any unlikely urge to hold the tiny creature in your hand. The skin secretes a poison.

Cup and Saucer Trail, Manitoulin Island, August 2008