Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Cherry blossom guide

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Hero
Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Hero (Image credit: iMore)

April 1 marked a lot of big changes in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It marked a changing of the fish and bugs you could catch on your island and also kicked off the egg hunting and crafting extravaganza leading up to Bunny Day (aka Easter) on April 12.

But there's another marker of spring happening from April 1-10 on islands in the Northern Hemisphere: cherry blossom season. If you have upgraded Resident Services to a building, Isabelle might mention the event during her morning announcements and give out a recipe for an outdoor picnic set. If not, you might be confused about why all of the hardwood trees on your island have turned pink.

How to gather petals and recipes

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Petal

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Petal (Image credit: iMore)

The color shift is temporary, as is the chance to collect the materials and recipes associated with the event. While you wander your island, you'll notice pink petals floating about. Most seem to be falling from the sky and disappear quickly, but a few are larger and gently move about. Pull out your net and catch them the way you would a flying insect. These petals will disappear if you miss, but there should be plenty more. They can be stored in your pockets in stacks of 10 and sold for 200 Bells. They're also used to craft special items that will appear in the seasonal recipes section of your DIY recipes collection.

If you missed the chance to get the picnic recipe from Isabelle, you can still find it and other recipes incorporating cherry blossoms by shooting down balloons floating over your island. These will be standard primary colored balloons rather than the multicolored ones indicating that they will drop Bunny Day recipes or sky eggs. Considering both events are happening simultaneously, it's an excellent time to be watching the skies with a slingshot in hand!

While cherry blossoms are the primary ingredient in each of these recipes, some of them do require other materials like clay, wood, and star fragments. It's unclear if there's a reward for crafting all of them the way there will be for Bunny Day. Here are the recipes we've found so far:

Blossom-viewing lantern

Animal Crossing New Horizons Blossing Viewing Lantern

Animal Crossing New Horizons Blossing Viewing Lantern (Image credit: iMore)
  • Sells for: 2,880 Bells
  • Cherry-blossom petals x 6
  • Hardwood x 4

Cherry-blossom bonsai

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Bonsai

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Bonsai (Image credit: iMore)
  • Sells for: 3,300 Bells
  • Cherry-blossom petals x 6
  • Hardwood x 2
  • Clump of weeds x 3
  • Clay x 3

Cherry-blossom branches

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Branches

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Branches (Image credit: iMore)
  • Sells for: 4,240 Bells
  • Cherry-blossom petals x 8
  • Tree branch x 4
  • Clay x 5

Cherry-blossom clock

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Clock

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Clock (Image credit: iMore)
  • Sells for: 2,750 Bells
  • Cherry-blossom petals x 5
  • Iron nugget x 1

Cherry-blossom flooring

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Flooring

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Flooring (Image credit: iMore)
  • Sells for: 4,400 Bells
  • Cherry-blossom petals x 10
  • Clump of weeds x 20

Cherry-blossom-petal pile

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Petal Pile

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Petal Pile (Image credit: iMore)
  • Sells for: 2,000 Bells
  • Cherry-blossom petals x 5

Cherry-blossom pochette

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Pochette

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Pochette (Image credit: iMore)
  • Sells for: 2,400 Bells
  • Cherry-blossom petals x 6

Cherry-blossom pond stone

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Pond Stone

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Pond Stone (Image credit: iMore)
  • Sells for: 2,700 Bells
  • Cherry-blossom petals x 3
  • Stone x 10

Cherry-blossom-trees wall

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Wall

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Wall (Image credit: iMore)
  • Sells for: 4,600 Bells
  • Cherry-blossom petals x 10
  • Hardwood x 5

Cherry-blossom umbrella

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Umbrella

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Umbrella (Image credit: iMore)
  • Sells for: 2,800 Bells
  • Cherry-blossom petals x 7

Cherry-blossom wand

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Wand

Animal Crossing New Horizons Cherry Blossom Wand (Image credit: iMore)
  • Sells for: 2,700 Bells
  • Cherry-blossom petals x 3
  • Star fragment x 3

Outdoor picnic set

Animal Crossing New Horizons Outdoor Picnic Set

Animal Crossing New Horizons Outdoor Picnic Set (Image credit: iMore)
  • Sells for: 4,000 Bells
  • Cherry-blossom petals x 10

Sakura-wood flooring

Animal Crossing New Horizons Sakura Wood Floor

Animal Crossing New Horizons Sakura Wood Floor (Image credit: iMore)
  • Sells for: 3,200 Bells
  • Cherry-blossom petals x 5
  • Wood x 10

Sakura-wood wall

Animal Crossing New Horizons Sakura Wood Wall

Animal Crossing New Horizons Sakura Wood Wall (Image credit: iMore)
  • Sells for: 3,200 Bells
  • Cherry-blossom petals x 5
  • Wood x 10

Pretty in pink

Have any questions about cherry-blossom season or know of recipes we're missing? Let us know in the comments section!

Samantha Nelson

Samantha Nelson writes about gaming and electronics for iMore, Windows Central and Android Central while also covering nerd culture for publications including IGN and Polygon. She loves superheroes, RPGs, cooking, and spending time outside with her dog. You can follow her on Twitter @samanthanelson1.