Update Animal Crossing on your Nintendo Switch

Before the event can officially start, your Nintendo Switch must be connected to Wi-Fi to download the game’s new version 1.2.0 firmware.

If the Nintendo Switch is connected to Wi-Fi, you’ll be prompted to update the game. If you missed the automatic update download, navigate to the Animal Crossing: New Horizons launcher on your Nintendo Switch home screen and then select Options by pressing the “+” button on your right Joy-Con controller.

If you are updated to the latest version, you’ll see “Ver. 1.2.0” in the top-left corner under the title name. If not, select “Software Update” and “Via The Internet” to download the version update to your Nintendo Switch.

Press the physical “A” button on your controller to submit any changes.

When launching Animal Crossing, the game version is displayed in the top-right corner of the screen. It should say “Version 1.2.0” to signify the start of the Nature Day event.

A Nintendo Online Subscription is not required to begin this event.

By downloading the latest patch, Isabelle or Tom Nook will announce the start of the Nature Day event during their daily announcement.

After launching the game, it’s time to hunt down a new character, Leif the Sloth, in the Resident Services Plaza.

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Leif’s Garden Shop Selection

Leif the Sloth was the Garden Shop owner first introduced in Animal Crossing: New Leaf, and he’s back during the new Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nature Day event.

Leif will set up his gardening stall in the Resident Services Plaza, where he sells flowers and flowering shrubs. Some of the flowers that Leif offers will not be available at Nook’s Cranny, so check his selection carefully!

Here’s a quick list of the new shrub items that Leif sells during the event:

Azaleas (Bloom in Spring): Pink, White Camellias: Pink, Red Hibiscus (Bloom in Summer): Red, Yellow Hydrangea (Bloom in Fall): Blue, Pink Holly (Bloom in Winter): Red Tea Olive: Orange, Yellow

As you can see, some of these shrubs will be in season, and some will not, but Leif will sell exactly one bush in season while the other will be a random shrub not currently in season.

Extra Bells for Weeds

During this event, Leif will purchase any weeds that you bring him at a higher rate than Nook’s Cranny—20 Bells per clump of weeds.

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Nook Miles+ Challenges and Rewards

Upon leaving your house at the start of the first day, be sure to check your mailbox. Tom Nook has sent you a letter in the mail informing you of the start of the Nook Miles+ activities available during the Nature Day event.

Before you begin planting your new gardening items, be sure to stop in at Residential Services to speak to Tom Nook about the Nook Miles+ event.

He’ll tell you that there’s a special reward for those that take part in Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nature Day, and if you’ve already completed one Nook Miles+ challenge, he’ll gift you the hedge recipe that can be crafted at a DIY Workbench.

If you’re beginning your journey in hybridizing rare flowers, the Nature Day event is an excellent place to start. Even if you’re not interested in developing those unique strains, the Nature Day event offers a welcome new dose of progression and replayability to the game.

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