Animal Crossing: New Horizons, developed for Nintendo Switch, has topped download charts since its release in March of 2020. The game, which allows users to cultivate their own uninhabited island among a plethora of anthropomorphic villagers, also encourages players to dig for fossils, hunt for bugs, fish, and dive for sea creatures. The types of creatures you can find change each season.
- Animal Crossing New Horizons Animals
- Animal Crossing New Horizons Animals Pictures
- Animal Crossing New Horizon Villagers
- Animal Crossing New Horizons Animals Tip Chart
Each island also houses a museum, and upon discovery of new species and fossils, the island's museum director, an argyle-clad and aptly-nocturnal owl named Blathers, shares a few facts about the very real creatures. He's notoriously anti-bug, so most of his views on butterflies are tainted by his bug prejudice. We've rounded up each butterfly species and paired each with its real life counterpart, as well as a few facts of our own. The game updates the creature list every month, so this list is current as of the publish date of this article.
[Note: all images of Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH) featured here are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License unless otherwise noted.]
The Animal Crossing ™: New Horizons is available exclusively for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite systems. Free in-game bonuses for your island getaway Get a download code for themed items to use in the Animal Crossing: New Horizons game and 50 Leaf Tickets to use in the Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp mobile game. Logic 9 latest version. Animal Crossing: New Horizons - How To Get Your Villagers To Sing It's always pleasant to see Animal Crossing: New Horizons villagers singing, but did you know you can urge them to do it on command? By Erin O'Gorman May 08, 2020. Animal Crossing: New Horizons features many returning villagers and a few new villagers that can move onto your island - either temporarily or to create a home to live in. There are also many.
Common butterfly | Pieris rapae (a.k.a Cabbage white butterfly)
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Blathers' comments:'The common butterfly would have you believe it is but a beautiful friend flitting prettily about the flowers. Bah, I say! They may seem innocent things with their pretty white wings, but they hide a dark side! The common butterfly caterpillar is called a cabbage worm, you see, and it's a most voracious pest. The ravenous beasts chew through cabbage, broccoli, kale and the like with a devastating gusto. And my feathers! Their green coloring is truly GROSS! A hoo-rrific hue, I say.'
Extra fun fact: all of these butterflies featured in the game are female. Only female cabbage whites have the two black spots on their wings.
Yellow butterfly | Colias erate (a.k.a. Eastern pale clouded yellow)
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Blathers' comments: 'Allow me to enlighten you… The yellow butterfly is named for its yellow wings. Need I say more? If I must, then allow me to note that the female yellow butterfly can lay up to 600 eggs at a time! Blech! And their creepy crawly caterpillars just love to chomp on clover plants. A recipe for disaster, I say. Just imagine reaching for a four-leaf clover, only to touch a larva instead! Yuck! The worst of luck!'
Extra fun fact: all of these butterflies are also female! Only females have the yellow spots and black bands on the edges of their wings.
Tiger butterfly |Papilio machaon (a.k.a. Old world swallowtail)
Credit: Nookipedia. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Blathers' comments:'Tiger butterflies are known for their majestic wings, which many consider quite beautiful. Truth be told, I find them monstrous! Those strange striped patterns… They give this owl the goose bumps! And while you may imagine young tiger butterfly larvae to look like lovely green caterpillars… it's not so! Why, when tiger butterflies are but babes, they're covered in unsightly white, brown, and black spots. In this way, they camouflage themselves as…as…bird droppings! Putrid pests, indeed!'
Extra fun fact: These butterflies have uniquely shaped wings that resemble the tails of swallows, hence their name: old world swallowtails!
Peacock butterfly |Papilio bianor (a.k.a. Chinese peacock)
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Blathers' comments: 'Pretty as a peacock? Bah, I say! The wings of the peacock butterfly may have a pattern similar to that of the beautiful bird… But its forewings are also covered in a dark, velvety hair! You heard right! HAIRY wings! A hair-raising revelation indeed!'
Extra fun fact: This species serves as the state butterfly of Uttarakhand, a state in the Northern part of India.
Common bluebottle | Graphium sarpedon (a.k.a. Blue triangle)
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Blathers' comments:'The common bluebottle is a type of swallowtail butterfly with a bright blue line running down its wings. They fly quite nimbly, it seems, and are thus quite difficult to catch. But seeing how they've been known to slurp nutrients from MUD puddles… I simply CAN'T imagine wanting to catch one myself. What awful breath!'
Extra fun fact: Males are known for their habit of feeding on the edges of puddles, and are therefore known as 'mud-puddlers.'
Paper kite butterfly | Idea leuconoe (a.k.a. Rice paper butterfly, Large tree nymph)
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Blathers' comments: With its black-and-white-striped wing pattern, the paper kite butterfly is both elegant and pretty… PRETTY POISONOUS I MEAN! Hoo dear! Where was I? Oh yes… Even this butterfly's black-and-white-striped larva and little golden pupae are toxic to predators. Indeed, the paper kite butterfly's foul flavor is famous, and thus birds, in particular, steer clear of the fiends. THIS bird most of all!'
Extra fun fact: Both the butterfly and larva are toxic because the larvae feed on poisonous vines from the parsonsia species.
Great purple emperor | Sasakia charonda (a.k.a. Japanese emperor)
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Credit: Peellden on Wikimedia. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Blathers' comments: 'The great purple emperor lives high in the treetops and is renowned for its pretty purple-hued wings. Its impressive bird-like wingspan and elusive nature have made it a favorite among butterfly aficionados. But truth be told, the so-called great purple emperor has some not-so-great peculiarities. For one…it has two horrid HORNS upon its head when it is in its caterpillar form. For two…it has been known to dine on feces and animal carcasses! Hoo! That's why I call it the Emperor of EWWW!'
Extra fun fact: The Great purple emperor is the national butterfly of Japan.
Monarch butterfly | Danaus plexippus (a.k.a. Monarch)
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Blathers' comments: 'Did you know the monarch butterfly migrates south for the winter and returns north for the summer? Indeed, these horrid orange beasties do not tolerate the cold and travel 3,000 miles to escape the winter. During the journey, they cluster together in trees by the thousands just to stay warm. Imagine! Hordes of the foul flittering fiends huddled together in one place! If only they'd put on tiny coats instead.'
Extra fun fact: The dark spots on the males' hindwings are actually scent glands which help distinguish males from females. Males are also slightly bigger than females.
Emperor butterfly | Morpho peleides (a.k.a. Blue morpho butterfly)
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Blathers' comments: 'The emperor butterfly is called the jewel of the forest. But its vivid blue hue… Ewww, let me tell you! The color does not come from a dye, but rather from light reflecting off layers of translucent scales. Yes, butterfly wings are covered in tiny scales! SCALES! Butterfly? Bah! More like snake of the sky!'
Extra fun fact: Morpho butterflies aren't *actually* blue! For more information on their magnificent hue, check out KQED's episode of deep look dedicated to just that:
Agrias butterfly | Agrias narcissus
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Credit: Didier Descouens on wikimedia. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Blathers' comments: 'Some say the agrias butterfly is one of the most beautiful butterflies in the world. Bah, I say! BAH! They may have brightly colored wings, but the way they flutter and flitter…SO FOUL! In fact, the agrias butterfly flies so fast, it is quite a feat to catch one. I suppose I should congratulate you on your good fortune… But catching any bug seems a misfortune to me.'
Extra fun fact: The beautiful red and blue hues you see are only on the dorsal (upper side/back) side of the butterfly. The ventral (underside) side looks like this:
Credit: Didier Descouens on wikimedia. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Great purple emperor | Sasakia charonda (a.k.a. Japanese emperor)
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Credit: Peellden on Wikimedia. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Blathers' comments: 'The great purple emperor lives high in the treetops and is renowned for its pretty purple-hued wings. Its impressive bird-like wingspan and elusive nature have made it a favorite among butterfly aficionados. But truth be told, the so-called great purple emperor has some not-so-great peculiarities. For one…it has two horrid HORNS upon its head when it is in its caterpillar form. For two…it has been known to dine on feces and animal carcasses! Hoo! That's why I call it the Emperor of EWWW!'
Extra fun fact: The Great purple emperor is the national butterfly of Japan.
Monarch butterfly | Danaus plexippus (a.k.a. Monarch)
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Blathers' comments: 'Did you know the monarch butterfly migrates south for the winter and returns north for the summer? Indeed, these horrid orange beasties do not tolerate the cold and travel 3,000 miles to escape the winter. During the journey, they cluster together in trees by the thousands just to stay warm. Imagine! Hordes of the foul flittering fiends huddled together in one place! If only they'd put on tiny coats instead.'
Extra fun fact: The dark spots on the males' hindwings are actually scent glands which help distinguish males from females. Males are also slightly bigger than females.
Emperor butterfly | Morpho peleides (a.k.a. Blue morpho butterfly)
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Blathers' comments: 'The emperor butterfly is called the jewel of the forest. But its vivid blue hue… Ewww, let me tell you! The color does not come from a dye, but rather from light reflecting off layers of translucent scales. Yes, butterfly wings are covered in tiny scales! SCALES! Butterfly? Bah! More like snake of the sky!'
Extra fun fact: Morpho butterflies aren't *actually* blue! For more information on their magnificent hue, check out KQED's episode of deep look dedicated to just that:
Agrias butterfly | Agrias narcissus
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Credit: Didier Descouens on wikimedia. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Blathers' comments: 'Some say the agrias butterfly is one of the most beautiful butterflies in the world. Bah, I say! BAH! They may have brightly colored wings, but the way they flutter and flitter…SO FOUL! In fact, the agrias butterfly flies so fast, it is quite a feat to catch one. I suppose I should congratulate you on your good fortune… But catching any bug seems a misfortune to me.'
Extra fun fact: The beautiful red and blue hues you see are only on the dorsal (upper side/back) side of the butterfly. The ventral (underside) side looks like this:
Credit: Didier Descouens on wikimedia. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Rajah Brooke's birdwing | Trogonoptera brookiana
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Blathers' comments: 'Did you know that the repulsive Rajah Brooke's birdwing loves to luxuriate in hot-springs water? It's true! Hoo! The males gather in groups to sip the moisture while the females hide in jungle trees. And though they dress to impress in red and green, these fluttering fiends are not just stylish… They're also quite malicious! Their little larvae pack a poisonous punch that's supposed to protect them from predators… But I suspect more diabolical designs.'
Extra fun fact: Rajah Brooke's birdwing is the national butterfly of Malaysia.
Queen Alexandra's birdwing | Ornithoptera alexandrae
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Blathers' comments: 'Hoo! The horror! This behemoth butterfly may be called a Queen Alexandra's birdwing…But I call it the Queen of My Nightmares! It is huge! Indeed, the world's hugest. No butterfly can best its foot-long wingspan. The larvae alone grow to more than 4 inches. As if that weren't appalling enough…they're poisonous! Murderous monsters, indeed!'
Extra fun fact: They are considered to be the largest species of butterfly in the world!
Moth* | Order: Lepidoptera
*Although not technically a butterfly, Blathers keeps the moths and butterflies together, so we've followed suite and included them here. In reality, there are several differences between moths and butterflies, including one that is obvious in the game: sleep patterns. Butterflies tend to be diurnal while moths are most active at night!
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Credit: Amy Carmichael, Queensland University of Technology via wikimedia. Available via CC-BY-3.0 au.
Blathers' comments: 'Many think the moth is strictly a nocturnal creature. Alas, no! These frightful fluttering beasts have been known to haunt the daylight and twilight hours too. Thus, there is no time of day one might escape the moth trait I dislike most of all–those feathery antennae! The mere thought of them gives my feathers goosebumps. And I'm no goose.'
Extra fun fact: Different species of moths are used throughout different versions of Animal Crossing, but the moths in New Horizons most closely resemble Antheraea yamamai (a.k.a. Japanese Silk Moth), Opodiphthera eucalypti (Emperor Gum Moth) and Helicoverpa armigera (Cotton Bollworm).
Atlas moth | Attacus atlas
Animal Crossing New Horizons Animals
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Blathers' comments: 'The Atlas moth is a monstrous thing! Not only is it one of the largest moths in the world…The tips of its wings look rather like the heads of venomous snakes! Despite its largeness and loathsome looks, the adult Atlas moth lives only for a few days. It emerges from its cocoon without a mouth, you see…and so cannot eat. I feel for the poor thing… but it is still foul!'
Extra fun fact: Atlas moths live only one to two weeks. They don't eat in their adult stage and depend on fat storage for energy.
Madagascan sunset moth | Chrysiridia rhipheus
Animal Crossing New Horizons Animals Pictures
Credit: Animal Crossing Fandom. Available via CC-BY-SA.
Animal Crossing New Horizon Villagers
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Animal Crossing New Horizons Animals Tip Chart
Blathers' comments: 'The Madagascan sunset moth is said to be the most beautiful moth in the world…a sentiment even I can't deny. While most moths are nocturnal, this one flutters about during the day, making good use of the light. That is, when the daylight reflects off its wings, a kaleidoscope of colors are revealed! Oh! Eh…too bad it has such startling red feet as a caterpillar. I might have found it almost tolerable otherwise. Almost, but not quite.'
Extra fun fact: This species eats toxic plants in their caterpillar stage and some have reported feeling 'euphoric highs' from consuming the moth's silk.
We plan to release guides to all animals featured in the Animal Crossing series. Check back for more soon!
