What’s New This Month in Animal Crossing: New Leaf – March

Welcome, New Leaf fans. Since July, Diehard GameFAN has been compiling a list of things that you can do in each month in order to make sure you have all your Nooklings in a row. Since it’s a new month, we’ve got a new list! Here are some of the things you can do in March.

First, some general tips:

• Donate the first (new) bug/fish/deep-sea creature that you catch to the museum. Then you don’t have to worry about whether you’ve donated or not. Remember that donating items to the museum has definite perks. For instance, once you donate thirty bugs to the establishment, you’ll be able to purchase the silver net, which makes it easier to catch bugs. Once you’ve donated all bugs to the museum, you’ll be able to get the gold net, which makes it even easier. Similar benefits are available for fishers.
• The rarer the specimen, the harder it is to catch that specimen. If you’re hunting bugs, hold A down and barely move your circle pad in the direction you want to go to sneak. Don’t rush up on beetles and the like, or else you’ll be sure to scare them away.
• The more expensive creatures are great for stocking up on bells. Many people have been going to the island at night to fill up their boxes with beetles, returning to sell them for thousands of bells. It’s a pretty good strategy if you’re saving up for something or you have a mortgage to pay off… or if you just like sitting on oodles of bells, I suppose.

The official Animal Crossing: New Leaf website has a few events listed for North America this month: Festivale is on the 3rd (you’ll be able to exchange feathers for Pavé  furniture), the Fishing Tourney is on the 15th, and Shamrock Day is on the 17th (go to the plaza for a shamrock hat). Don’t forget, of course, that some of your residents may have March birthdays. Go to their house on that day to celebrate with them. If you bring a present, you might just get one in return in your mailbox the next day. Also be sure to check with Pelly for any special presents that you can download via Wifi.

There’s plenty to look for in the great outdoors. On the bug catching front, you have several new bugs to look for.

• The common butterfly returns, flying around flowers from 4am – 7pm. These butterflies don’t exactly help you raise funds, as they’re only worth 90 bells.
  
• The flea can be found on villagers all day. They’re worth 300 bells.
• Honeybees can be found flying near flowers from 8am – 5pm. They’re fairly common and worth 160 bells. These are different from bees that you can catch by shaking trees for bee’s nests to fall out. (Those are available year-round.)
• Ladybugs will be found on flowers from 8am – 5pm. They’re worth 200 bells.
• The peacock butterfly is an uncommon bug worth 220 bells found flying around black, blue, and purple flowers between 4am – 7pm.
• Spiders reappear and can be found by shaking trees at any point during the day or night. They’re worth 300 bells.
  
• Tiger beetles are found on the ground between am-11pm and are worth 1500 bells.
• Tiger butterflies are found, like most butterflies, flying around flowers. They’re worth 160 bells and are found between 8am-7pm.
• Yellow butterflies can be found flying near flowers between 6am-4pm. They’re worth 90 bells and are common.

There are no bugs that are found in March that cannot be found in April as well.

Are you more the fishing type? Here’s what you can look forward to starting in March:

• The barred knifejaw is available; it is an rare ocean fish worth 5,000 bells, found all day. It’s got a medium-sized shadow.
• The catfish is a fairly common large river fish worth 800 bells. It’s available for your capture between 4pm and 9am. You’ll find them in lake areas.
  
• Chars are found near waterfalls from 4pm – 9am and 4pm-9pm. They’re uncommon and sell for 3,800 bells each. Look for medium shadows.
• The cherry salmon is worth 1,000 bells and is found from all day in rivers. To find this uncommon fish, look for small shadows.
• To find the loach, look in rivers at any time in the day or night. It’s common, has a small shadow, and is worth about 300 bells.
• Rainbow trout can be found from 4am to 9am and 4pm to 9pm in the river. They’re worth about 800 bells and are fairly common. Look for large shadows to find one. 
  
• Finally, tadpoles can be found all day in ponds. They’re not worth much, at 100 bells, and are uncommon. They’ve got tiny shadows.

If you haven’t caught a football fish, tuna, or yellow perch by now, this month is the last month you can do so for a while.

Last but not least, we have diving.

• Look for the rare very large-shadowed giant spider crabs, which can be found all day. They’re slow moving, so they shouldn’t be hard to catch, and are worth 10,000 bells.
• The octopus returns this month. It can be found all day. It’s got a medium-sized shadow that moves pretty fast, and can be sold for 1000 bells.

If you haven’t caught a red king crab by now, this month is the last month you can do so for a while.

Well, that’s all that I’ve been able to find for this month. Do you have any tips or tricks you’d like to share? Does your experience differ from what’s listed above? Did you find this helpful? Let us know in the comments, and happy Crossing!