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Guy Finds Caterpillars In Tesco Broccoli, Decides To Raise Them Into Butterflies And Documents The Entire Process
What would you do if you bought some broccoli and found caterpillars living in it? Ask the store for a refund? Raise the critters as your children? Document it all and post the story on the Internet? British media personality Sam Darlaston did all of the above.
The host of KISS FM UK and a vegetarian “met” the first caterpillar on June 11th when he started to prepare his favorite vegetable purchased from a local Tesco supermarket. At first, he was shocked but that feeling quickly disappeared when he realized he had a new pet to enjoy during the lockdown in his London home.
More info: Twitter
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“I did my research initially and discovered the exact type of caterpillar/butterfly we were dealing with (a cabbage white),” Darlaston told HuffPost. “I then decided to build him a little home in my lounge with all the broccoli he wanted.”
The small, or European, cabbage white (Pieris rapae) was introduced to North America c. 1860 and is one of the most common white butterflies on the continent. It has white or cream-colored wings with small black dots and lays its eggs singly on leaves. The large cabbage white (P. brassicae) is found throughout Europe, Asia, and North Africa. It rocks large black spots with a black band on the tip of its white wings and lays its eggs in characteristic clusters. Both species are considered to be major economic pests and can locally decimate cabbage and other crops. So as you can imagine, running into Darlaston was pretty much the best outcome this little buddy could’ve hoped for.
Tesco refunded him the $1.37 for the caterpillar-infested broccoli, and Sam used the money to buy more veggies and, unexpectedly, got more caterpillars. “The broccoli I’d got as a replacement contained 5 more,” Darlaston said. “And then a 3rd broccoli belonging to my housemate had another one! So 1 became 7 caterpillars overnight!”
After Darlaston shared his caterpillar story on Twitter, it instantly went viral, generating over 92K likes and 51K retweets. All of this hype got Tesco’s — the groceries and general merchandise retailer where Sam bought the broccoli — attention as well. However, the best part of this story isn’t the refund. Rather, the metamorphosis that gave life to a bunch of very handsome butterflies.
“I’m a firm believer in not harming any animals or insects if possible and I just sort of knew what I had to do after googling how to keep a caterpillar,” he explained his choice to keep the little buddies. Taking care of them was no easy task and Sam faced quite a few challenges, especially when the caterpillars started evolving toward their mature state.
“The biggest challenge I faced whilst raising the caterpillars was their love of escaping! Especially when they are about to cocoon. “One day, we found one on an ornamental vanilla stick! One under a table and one under a candle holder cocooning! They’d broke free from the paper lid!”
But Darlaston got everything under control and is now a proud father of fully-grown butterflies. Like a good father should, after he prepared his kids for the big world, the man let them free. “I felt a tiny bit sad watching them spread their wings but the overall feeling was happiness,” Darlaston said. “I’m just happy at least one of us gets to go out during these times.”
“If I find more, I’d 100% do it all again.”
OH MY WORD. Went for a run… (call me Mo Farah) GOT BACK AND THERE’S 3 BUTTERFLIES!!!! CROC HAS BEEN JOINED BY BROC AND OLLY!!!!!! 3!!!!!! 🦋🦋🦋 pic.twitter.com/xD42awfxZo
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 25, 2020
AN HONOUR to be on @BBCRadio2 with the legend @theJeremyVine discussing my caterpillars and releasing Broc and Olly live on air 🥦🐛 this is it, life’s peaked really pic.twitter.com/KLFp1rDg1d
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 25, 2020
Image credits: samd_official
The story got so popular, it even attracted Tesco’s attention
Image credits: Tesco
And people absolutely loved it
Image credits: giloi
Image credits: iamsophielauren
Image credits: therealTevfik
Image credits: SMgevey
Image credits: runs4latte
Image credits: studiomarlinde
What do you think ?
Zoe Murphy 5 years ago
AnnelieseGirl, I think you misunderstood how to take a profile picture. It’s supposed to show your face not your butt. Unless that is your face but then that means you have misspelled your name. It should be AnalieseGirl.
Load More Replies...
Janine B. 5 years ago
Brimstone butterflies! I love them, they're so pretty. And real badasses. They even survive winters with temperatures down to - 20°C because their bodies contain glycerine. All unnecessary water is released before the cold season and so they can survive outside. So bye for now, I'm going to shop some broccoli. 🥦 🦋
Ruth Mayfly 5 years ago
They're not Brimstones. They have the wrong wing shape and markings, and Brimstone butterfly caterpillars only eat Buckthorn. These are Cabbage White butterflies which only eat plants in the cabbage family.
Load More Replies...
Bill Taylor 5 years ago
This is why I buy organic. Organisms in your fruits and veggies is a good thing, pesticides? Not so much.
Chaboom 5 years ago
That's what the market vendor told me when I saw one on my veggies. It only proves they don't use chemicals or pesticides with the produce.
Load More Replies...
Petra Christovová 5 years ago
This actually happened to me too! It was also with broccoli, it is possible that caterpillars like this particular vegetable? Unfortunately I could not raise them, because I realised their presence only after boiling the broccoli (and unfortunately eating half of it ... )
Christina Uhlir 5 years ago
......I will examine every piece of broccoli very carefully before cooking them.
Load More Replies...
logical fallacy 5 years ago
Allow me to start by admitting that I have an irrational fear of bugs, butterflies included (I don't mind looking at them, but the thought of them on my skin sends shivers down my spine). Having said that, when I was 12 my school took us to the historic section of the country's agricultural university. Among the sites, we were shown old silk weaving equipment. They're no longer used, but the uni continues the tradition of raising silk worms/butterflies. As a farewell gift we were allowed to adopt some worms. I took in a scoop and by the time they turned into butterflies I was so attached to them I cried. Also cried when one died. She wouldn't eat and her colour had changed from milky white to sickly green, until one day she died. It scarred me a little, but it was worth it when the other butteflies started mating with each other. Wanted to keep a colony but my dad said it would be terrible for our plants and he was right. Hopefully their descendants still live; plenty ofmulberries here
Gr8Gramma2-4 5 years ago
You've raised them and released all 7 of them. Looks like you have yourself a new hobby and looks like others have followed. Heart. Heart. Heart. :)
banana 5 years ago
This was so fun to read! For anyone who thinks this looks great, you can buy caterpillars and their food mix online. We used to buy some every year and set them free, now that there’s a pandemic and nothing to do we are back to raising caterpillars! 4 out of 5 of ours lived to butterfly stage, we’re going to set them free on the 4th of July!! :)
SirPatTheCat 5 years ago (edited)
Flashback to the time I found tiny caterpillars on my lavender I was drying and kept them for a long time hoping for pretty butterflies or maybe even a nice moth and they were craneflies...
Bettye McKee 5 years ago
If the worms won't eat it, neither should you. It's true that finding living specimens in your vegetables is proof enough that it's safe to eat.
Ruth Mayfly 5 years ago
I've seen a lot of misidentification of these butterflies. These are Cabbage White butterflies, which are very common here in the UK (and presumably also in Spain where the broccoli came from)
b l a n c 5 years ago
this is like my dream post, i absolutely love caterpillars! cabbage whites are so cute too~ ♥ very cute story, sometimes you find caterpillars in the strangest of places. although finding things like that in your food can be annoying -_- good thing it was just these cuties! :D
Kate Marešová 5 years ago
that is the reason I dont ever buy broccoli, everytime I found a catterpillar there.
Celtic Pirate Queen 5 years ago
We bought some Milkweed plants in the hopes of creating a Monarch butterfly haven. Worked great - at first. The Monarchs came and laid their eggs. All was good. The eggs hatched and became the cutest striped little caterpillars. THEN - the wasps showed up. They literally grabbed the caterpillars from the plant and took them to the ground - where they proceeded to completely EVISCERATE them. Like rip them in half and tear their guts apart. One of the most brutal acts of nature I have personally ever witnessed.
clive apps 5 years ago
Congratulations you have helped contribute to millions of $$ in crop damages caused by https://horticulture.oregonstate.edu/oregon-vegetables/cabbage-white-butterfly. These little guys will eat almost any food crop in the area but prefer cabbage family plants, they also damage https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/vgen/nightshade-vegetable.htm#:~:text=List%20of%20Nightshade%20Vegetables%201%20Tomato%202%20Tomatillo,Tamarillo%2010%20Cape%20gooseberry%2Fground%20cherry%20More%20items...%20 family plants if they have no cabbage plants, or just about any crops if neither nightshade or cabbage are available.
Mystery Egg 5 years ago
How beautiful. I often rescue caterpillars from my veggies but I put them in the garden and never track their progress...they just wiggle off.
Oskar vanZandt 5 years ago
This is why my mother taught us to rinse broccoli and other veg in salt water before rinsing and boiling/steaming/baking... makes the critters let go. If I were to eat the veg raw, I would probably add an extra step of a vinegar bath. I don't mind caterpillars and other insects- just not in/on my food. (I'm sure I've inadvertently eaten numerous little critters throughout my life...)
MiniMaus 5 years ago
So all is fun and games until you introduce a new species to another country. Hopefully these cabbage butterflies are native to the UK too. I get it. It's a cute article and fun to watch. But in Canada we have had so many foreign insects, worms, fish etc. introduced to us that we have tonnes of trouble. Many foreign species have no enemies and therefore multiply by the millions.
Dorothy Parker 5 years ago (edited)
So enjoyable. We found a cornworm (caterpillar) in our corn and watched it go through its stages.
bored human 5 years ago
Interesting. My mum found a couple in her mint, and I'm hoping to see them grow into butterflies in a week!
M DR 5 years ago
If you want someone to blame, blame the people who supplied the produce without washing it first. That there were so many caterpillars on the vegetables just tells me that these insects have been transported to this area for awhile.
Load More Replies...
Zoe Murphy 5 years ago
AnnelieseGirl, I think you misunderstood how to take a profile picture. It’s supposed to show your face not your butt. Unless that is your face but then that means you have misspelled your name. It should be AnalieseGirl.
Load More Replies... Janine B. 5 years ago
Brimstone butterflies! I love them, they're so pretty. And real badasses. They even survive winters with temperatures down to - 20°C because their bodies contain glycerine. All unnecessary water is released before the cold season and so they can survive outside. So bye for now, I'm going to shop some broccoli. 🥦 🦋
Ruth Mayfly 5 years ago
They're not Brimstones. They have the wrong wing shape and markings, and Brimstone butterfly caterpillars only eat Buckthorn. These are Cabbage White butterflies which only eat plants in the cabbage family.
Load More Replies... Bill Taylor 5 years ago
This is why I buy organic. Organisms in your fruits and veggies is a good thing, pesticides? Not so much.
Chaboom 5 years ago
That's what the market vendor told me when I saw one on my veggies. It only proves they don't use chemicals or pesticides with the produce.
Load More Replies... Petra Christovová 5 years ago
This actually happened to me too! It was also with broccoli, it is possible that caterpillars like this particular vegetable? Unfortunately I could not raise them, because I realised their presence only after boiling the broccoli (and unfortunately eating half of it ... )
Christina Uhlir 5 years ago
......I will examine every piece of broccoli very carefully before cooking them.
Load More Replies... logical fallacy 5 years ago
Allow me to start by admitting that I have an irrational fear of bugs, butterflies included (I don't mind looking at them, but the thought of them on my skin sends shivers down my spine). Having said that, when I was 12 my school took us to the historic section of the country's agricultural university. Among the sites, we were shown old silk weaving equipment. They're no longer used, but the uni continues the tradition of raising silk worms/butterflies. As a farewell gift we were allowed to adopt some worms. I took in a scoop and by the time they turned into butterflies I was so attached to them I cried. Also cried when one died. She wouldn't eat and her colour had changed from milky white to sickly green, until one day she died. It scarred me a little, but it was worth it when the other butteflies started mating with each other. Wanted to keep a colony but my dad said it would be terrible for our plants and he was right. Hopefully their descendants still live; plenty ofmulberries here
Gr8Gramma2-4 5 years ago
You've raised them and released all 7 of them. Looks like you have yourself a new hobby and looks like others have followed. Heart. Heart. Heart. :)
banana 5 years ago
This was so fun to read! For anyone who thinks this looks great, you can buy caterpillars and their food mix online. We used to buy some every year and set them free, now that there’s a pandemic and nothing to do we are back to raising caterpillars! 4 out of 5 of ours lived to butterfly stage, we’re going to set them free on the 4th of July!! :)
SirPatTheCat 5 years ago (edited)
Flashback to the time I found tiny caterpillars on my lavender I was drying and kept them for a long time hoping for pretty butterflies or maybe even a nice moth and they were craneflies...
Bettye McKee 5 years ago
If the worms won't eat it, neither should you. It's true that finding living specimens in your vegetables is proof enough that it's safe to eat.
Ruth Mayfly 5 years ago
I've seen a lot of misidentification of these butterflies. These are Cabbage White butterflies, which are very common here in the UK (and presumably also in Spain where the broccoli came from)
b l a n c 5 years ago
this is like my dream post, i absolutely love caterpillars! cabbage whites are so cute too~ ♥ very cute story, sometimes you find caterpillars in the strangest of places. although finding things like that in your food can be annoying -_- good thing it was just these cuties! :D
Kate Marešová 5 years ago
that is the reason I dont ever buy broccoli, everytime I found a catterpillar there.
Celtic Pirate Queen 5 years ago
We bought some Milkweed plants in the hopes of creating a Monarch butterfly haven. Worked great - at first. The Monarchs came and laid their eggs. All was good. The eggs hatched and became the cutest striped little caterpillars. THEN - the wasps showed up. They literally grabbed the caterpillars from the plant and took them to the ground - where they proceeded to completely EVISCERATE them. Like rip them in half and tear their guts apart. One of the most brutal acts of nature I have personally ever witnessed.
clive apps 5 years ago
Congratulations you have helped contribute to millions of $$ in crop damages caused by https://horticulture.oregonstate.edu/oregon-vegetables/cabbage-white-butterfly. These little guys will eat almost any food crop in the area but prefer cabbage family plants, they also damage https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/vgen/nightshade-vegetable.htm#:~:text=List%20of%20Nightshade%20Vegetables%201%20Tomato%202%20Tomatillo,Tamarillo%2010%20Cape%20gooseberry%2Fground%20cherry%20More%20items...%20 family plants if they have no cabbage plants, or just about any crops if neither nightshade or cabbage are available.
Mystery Egg 5 years ago
How beautiful. I often rescue caterpillars from my veggies but I put them in the garden and never track their progress...they just wiggle off.
Oskar vanZandt 5 years ago
This is why my mother taught us to rinse broccoli and other veg in salt water before rinsing and boiling/steaming/baking... makes the critters let go. If I were to eat the veg raw, I would probably add an extra step of a vinegar bath. I don't mind caterpillars and other insects- just not in/on my food. (I'm sure I've inadvertently eaten numerous little critters throughout my life...)
MiniMaus 5 years ago
So all is fun and games until you introduce a new species to another country. Hopefully these cabbage butterflies are native to the UK too. I get it. It's a cute article and fun to watch. But in Canada we have had so many foreign insects, worms, fish etc. introduced to us that we have tonnes of trouble. Many foreign species have no enemies and therefore multiply by the millions.
Dorothy Parker 5 years ago (edited)
So enjoyable. We found a cornworm (caterpillar) in our corn and watched it go through its stages.
bored human 5 years ago
Interesting. My mum found a couple in her mint, and I'm hoping to see them grow into butterflies in a week!
M DR 5 years ago
If you want someone to blame, blame the people who supplied the produce without washing it first. That there were so many caterpillars on the vegetables just tells me that these insects have been transported to this area for awhile.
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