Nature In The Valley (Catchable Creatures)
🟡 Updated this year⚠️ Install Order · 2 steps
Install in this order, then this mod last — most mods fail to load without their framework and dependencies in place.
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🔍 Analysis
- 👍 1.3% endorsement rate — high engagement, a strong quality signal
- 🏆 #37 of 71 Expansions mods in this game by downloads
📋 About This Mod
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Nature In The Valley
This is a gameplay expansion mod which adds 84 animals as semi-randomly spawning interactive creatures, along with systems like a new net tool to catch and sell these creatures, or donate them to the new Insectarium building. This mod also adds Terrariums to keep creatures as pets!. Includes a framework for other mods to make their own creatures/animals! This was heavily based upon Animal Crossing, and so many features of bugs from Animal Crossing carry over to animals in Nature In The Valley.
Animals will spawn according to time of day, location, weather, and the types of objects in your current location (Trees, bushes, water, stumps). A new net tool bought from The Insectarium, Pierre's or JojaMart is used to catch the animals. Some animals will run away from you if you move too close to them, some wont care about your movement, and a few will actively hunt you! Some animals fly, some hop around, some lounge on trees and bushes and some are found on the surface of the water! The encyclopedia in the insectarium features a full infographic list of the creatures found and yet to be discovered, from this you can also enable or disable the spawning of specific donatable creatures if that is your wish (You can also directly change this list in the FilteredSpawns file). You can also find a full list of creatures at the bottom of this page (SPOILERS!).
When a creature is dropped directly from your inventory, it will be released. A released creature stays around until the end of the day.
Insectarium
Re-imagined by omena007 in update 1. 3. 1, the insectarium is a new building accessed by a ticket machine from the bus stop, and can be reached prior to the bus stop being fixed. The insectarium has a slight story behind it, and some lore - featuring a new NPC Ivy. Animals donated to the insectarium will wander around a specific room / location which resonates with where you found them. Once you've donated some creatures, it'll become quite the lively place, with butterflies, beetles, frogs and countless other creatures all around you! As creatures are donated you'll also receive specific milestone rewards similar to the museum. Additionally, the more creatures are donated the more decorated the insectarium becomes! A major feature of the insectarium is the creature encyclopedia, a infographical menu for you to find out more about the habits of each creature. Images showing a fresh and completed Insectarium can be
Nature In The Valley adds an Animal Crossing-style animal catching system with over 80 collectable creatures spawning across the valley. Includes an insectarium for donations with unique rewards and terrariums for keeping animals. A popular expansion for Stardew Valley players seeking collection and exploration.
✨ Key Features
📊 Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Huge content boost with 80+ creatures to find and catch.
- Community favorite with 1,179 endorsements and 88k downloads.
- Adds a fresh collection loop that fits Stardew's cozy vibe.
⚠️ Cons
- No mention of compatibility with other mods or multiplayer.
- Last updated June 2026—check for recent patches if you're on the latest game version.
For Stardew Valley players who love collecting and exploring. If you enjoy Animal Crossing's bug-catching or completionist goals, this is a must-try. Skip if you want gameplay overhauls—this is purely a collection expansion.
💡 Beginner Tips
- Use a mod manager like SMAPI to install and manage this mod easily.
- Start exploring early—animals spawn across the valley, so check different areas.
- Donate to the insectarium for unique rewards, but keep some for terrariums.
📊 Mod Details
- Game
- Stardew Valley Mods
- Author
- w8AwA8w
- Version
- 1.3.4
- Downloads
- 88,177
- Endorsements
- 1,179
- Category
- Expansions
- Created
- 12/18/2024
- Updated
- 6/28/2026
🧩 Commonly Used Together
Users add these mods to the same collections — a real compatibility signal, not an AI guess.
🔧 How to Install Stardew Valley Mods
Download from Nexus.
📖 Full step-by-step install guide for Stardew Valley →
Visit the official mod page for specific installation instructions for this mod.
🎮 Need cheat codes or console commands? Check ur gaming wiki for Stardew Valley commands, item IDs, and more.
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