YourNew Horizonsdeserted island is teeming with color, sound, and life, but it simply wouldn’t be the same without bugs. Flowers draw a kaleidoscope of butterflies to your shores, while cicadas and crickets add ambiance with their evening calls. The detail put into these insects and how they interact with their environment helps make theAnimal Crossingseries as addictive as it is.
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Collecting these critters for Blathers' museum wouldn’t be nearly as fun without the quirky quotes that appear as you catch them. Some impressive wordplay can be found amongst these capture lines, though there are just as many that fall far short of clever.
10Best: Wharf Roach
Wharf roaches aren’t the most impressive looking bug, but the pun in their capture quote makes up for it. This line plays on the ‘wharf’ part of the insect’s name, but more importantly, the capture quote heaps praise onto a simple bug that likely doesn’t see much affection.
Despite the fact this is a roach, Blathers notes that these insects are cleaners of sorts. Wharf roaches will eat almost any waste that washes up on beaches, and inNew Horizonscan be found on the rockier parts of your island’s shoreline.
9Worst: Goliath Beetle
With a name like goliath beetle, there’s a lot of potential for references to the biblical legend of David and Goliath. Unfortunately, this capture pun rather lazily just hints at the legend in general, although it’s at least more creative than the line fromCity Folk- ‘I caught a goliath beetle! GOOOOOOOOOLIATH!’
Aside from its lackluster capture quote, the goliath beetle is a very exciting find. It’s one of the rarest critters players can find andwill net a hefty 8,000 Bellswhen sold at Nook’s Cranny, or 12,000 when given to Flick.
8Best: Red Dragonfly
The appeal of this capture quote comes from its clear reference toDungeons & Dragons.This would be fun enough to see on its own, but hints tothe complex and the occasionally dark gamein a world as cute and simple asAnimal Crossingis amusing, to say the least.
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The red dragonfly can only be found for two months, from September to October in the Northern Hemisphere and March to April for Southern Hemisphere players. Those who missed it this time around can always turn to time-travel to catch this bug, thoughit’s worth considering the pros and cons of this method.
7Worst: Yellow Butterfly
This capture pun is simply too obvious. It would be difficult to find an English-speaking person alive who hasn’t made a joke related to butterflies and butter, and the capitalization of BUTTER in this example suggests players would be too stupid to understand it otherwise. It’s a little rude if anything.
Yellow butterflies spawn near flowers and can be caught for most of the day, from 4AM to 7PM. They’re one of the most common critters inNew Horizons, and accordingly can be sold to the Nooklings for just 160 Bells.
6Best: Common Bluebottle
Unlike the yellow butterfly, the common bluebottle’s capture line makes incredible sense without being bleedingly obvious. Better yet, its bright blue patterning means this butterfly would look quite striking in a green jar.
The common bluebottle made its first appearance inNew Horizonsand is active from Spring to early Summer. Despite spawning at a similar rate, it’s worth quite a bit more than the yellow butterfly - players can sell common bluebottles to the Nooklings for 300 Bells,or to Flick for 450 Bells.
5Worst: Wasp
The wasp is by farone of the biggest annoyancesinAnimal Crossing, a fact not helped by its silly capture quote. Players should be excited to have caught one and avoided a vicious stinging, so the line ‘That’s gotta sting…’ ends up a nonsensical mood dampener.
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Wasps are worth 2,500 Bells, and with five wasp nests spawning each day, players can make a tidy 12,500 Bells if they’re skilled enough to catch them all. Players who want to avoid wasps all together can rest assured that none will appear when their island gates are open.
4Best: Flea
Fleas may be incredibly gross, but their inclusion inAnimal Crossinghas always had a rather cute element to it. Villagers will occasionally appear with small black spots leaping off them and will complain of itchiness until players cure their affliction with a quick net swipe. The tiny text of ‘The curse is lifted’ is extremely satisfying, and the whole encounter will improve your friendship with that villager.
Aside from this cute capture quote, fleas don’t have that much going for them. They’re worth a measly 70 Bells, so players would be smart to ditch selling fleas forfaster ways to earn Bells.
3Worst: Mole Cricket
This capture quote has a certain charm to it, but comparing it with versions from older games will likely just make players sad. InNew Leaf,the line reads ‘I didn’t even have to reset!’, a clear reference to the angry yet endearing mole NPC, Resetti. Resetti’s presence is only ever implied through the rescue service inNew Horizons, and it’s sad to see a classic character so neglected.
Mole crickets are also just an annoying bug to catch. They live underground, and players must dig around where their chirps can be heard, often digging up half of their island before finding anything.
2Best: Long Locust
There’s certainly no complex wordplay going on in this capture quote, but that’s the beauty of it. This pun seems like the kind of joke any player could make with their friends - it’s simply funny, and a great example of the goofy charm thatAnimal Crossinghas to offer.
Long locusts can be caught in rain or shine, only hiding from players during the coldest winter months. When donating one to the museum, Blathers will describe how they spit brown goo when scared - fortunately, this feature doesn’t appear when trying to catch one.
1Worst: Tarantula
Tarantulas, as well as scorpions, are perhaps the most exciting insect to spot inNew Horizons.Catching them is a challenge, and they’re worth a massive 8,000 Bells, so spotting one can be the highlight of many players' night. It’s a shame the captured quote inane - players are safe once they’ve caught one, so if anything the situation has juststoppedbeing hairy.
Tarantulas can be found from November to April in the Northern Hemisphere, and May to October in the south. They’ll roam around your island from 7PM until 4AM, but watch out after 11PM as that’s when these critters are most active.
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