Man Discovers Caterpillars In His Broccoli and a Rollercoaster Ride Ensues on Twitter
When you go to the grocery store to buy broccoli, you probably expect to be getting what you pay for – broccoli. Well, one customer ended up with broccoli and butterflies, but it didn’t start out that way.
Warning: after you read this, you’re probably going to look a lot more closely at your broccoli before you eat it or cook it.
When Sam Darlaston got home from Tesco, he noticed something weird when he looked at his broccoli. There was a green caterpillar in the package. Instead of returning the broccoli or throwing it away, he did something many people wouldn’t do. He kept the caterpillar as a pet.
If you know very much about caterpillars, you know that they eventually become butterflies. Yes, we’re talking in the plural because when Darlaston went back to Tesco for more broccoli, he ended up with even more caterpillars.
Scroll down to read the entire, bizarre story for yourself.
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This Is How It All Started
Hey @Tesco I was about to cook my favourite vegetable of all time (broccoli) and after unwrapping it, to my surprise, found caterpillars inside! They’re really nice and we’ve ended up keeping one as a pet and naming him. but just as a heads up, some of your broc has c-pillars😳🐛 pic.twitter.com/3VLIQAEogG
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 11, 2020
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He Actually Named the Caterpillar
In case anyone is interested, the name we’ve gone with is Cedric, he’s from Spain (at least we assume so because the broccoli is) and he dances after eating spinach and broc all day long 🐛🐛🐛 pic.twitter.com/tO1EyMgeG1
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 11, 2020
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And So It Continues
OH MY CHRIST. Just bought another broc and before I’ve even opened it I can see caterpillars 😭🐛 pic.twitter.com/xUBFmuiT5B
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 11, 2020
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He’s Keeping These As Well
SO IT TURNS OUT THAT THIS BROC CONTAINS ANOTHER 5 CATERPILLARS????!!!! 5!!!!! Also it turns out that THIS… is now a caterpillar thread pic.twitter.com/7M0UIcUxrU
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 11, 2020
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And Then There Were 7
WELL! What do you know! My housemate just went to cook his broccoli and BAMMMMMMM, he’s got green mates too. Open to name suggestions for our 7th caterpillar child 😭🐛🐛🐛 pic.twitter.com/Gs02yjtPLr
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 12, 2020
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Cedric Is Changing
The OG caterpillar Cedric has begun evolving… is Caterpie is about to become Metapod 😮 pic.twitter.com/sRRXnrR3qs
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 12, 2020
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Caterpillar Romance
Day 3, and we’ve got our first caterpillar romance story. Janine and Slim Eric nap together, eat together, and occasionally dance together 🐛 pic.twitter.com/t883KOVgi0
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 13, 2020
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Cedric Is a Chrysalis
Also, a closer look at Cedric who is now 30 hours into his chrysalis stage – now fully renamed Metapod until he elvolves into butterfree 🦋 pic.twitter.com/Ryx4jVjgxf
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 13, 2020
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It’s Time for New Vanilla Sticks
Oh god, it’s actually started cocooning and spun silk round it, so it won’t come off, it’s gonna have to chrysalis outside the cage with a house plant, this is CATERPILLAR CHAOS pic.twitter.com/gdvLp4rkTO
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 13, 2020
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We Don’t Blame Her
My mum won’t eat her Sunday Roast for fear of caterpillars!!! Look what you’ve done tesco 😭 pic.twitter.com/nd4gjmnk6T
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 14, 2020
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A Caterpillar Eating Broccoli
Honestly Tesco, look how much Janine the caterpillar EATS!? I think you need to provide more 55p broccoli gift cards for her pic.twitter.com/sruvjcMtkO
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 15, 2020
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Only One Left
BROCCOLI CATERPILLAR UPDATE – before the weekend 6 out of the 7 became chrysalis / cocooned… Broc was the last to evolve so I let him roam about 🐛 pic.twitter.com/KGhqhd6SzT
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 22, 2020
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See the Difference?
I then got him to pose for a picture with his brother Olly so we could see the diff between caterpillar and cocoon. 🌚🌝 pic.twitter.com/xEcQ9kRdhJ
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 22, 2020
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The 1st Butterfly
Broc then became a chrysalis on Friday night… But then on SUNDAY MORNING I WAS GREETED BY CEDRIC!!!! he’s changed a bit 🦋🦋🦋 pic.twitter.com/KvqorlRFKh
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 22, 2020
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Before and After
Every little, quite literally, does help ! Thanks @Tesco 🐛🦋 pic.twitter.com/DOuHLJE2YA
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 22, 2020
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Releasing the Butterflies
3/7 of the Tesco broccoli caterpillars are now wild butterflies 😭, this morning Janine joined Cedric and Slim Eric for her new life ✌️🥦🦋 (thought she’d at least say bye but she just bolted) pic.twitter.com/ZxggmWc6VP
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 24, 2020
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Croc Is a Butterfly Too
Good morning to my new bestie Croc and my new bestie Croc only 🦋🥦 (he’s the one on the left) pic.twitter.com/CWrQ2HI1pS
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 25, 2020
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Make That 3 Butterflies
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
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Another Butterfly Release
It’s time for another of our caterpillar-now-butterfly kids to spread their wings. 🦋Broc was released live with Jeremy Vine on BBC Radio 2 earlier (honestly what is that sentence🤩) so just before my show on @KissFMUK right now I’ve just released his best mate Olly🦋 pic.twitter.com/r15YbRb4av
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 25, 2020
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The Final 2
Yooo- if you’re still on this thread, first of all congratulations you’ve got an incredible attention (to broccoli caterpillars) span. 🥦 REMEMBER THE ESCAPOLOGIST? No.7 Slim Eric, his name comes from him being smaller (& his caterpillar rap skills) still cocooned currently 🕯🐛 pic.twitter.com/oHPypBKN8J
— Sam Darlaston (@samd_official) June 27, 2020
Tesco ended up responding to Darlaston’s Twitter thread about the caterpillars asking for more details and a picture of the packaging.
Hi Sam, thanks for letting us know. Really sorry to hear this. Can you please DM me with your email address, the store purchased from and images of the broccoli packaging? I’d like to make sure we can get this fully logged for you. Thanks, Rebekah https://t.co/py5Z991Bme
— Tesco (@Tesco) June 11, 2020
Meanwhile, other Twitter users shared that they too have found caterpillars in with their broccoli, and apparently, it has been happening for a very long time. Yikes!
We had exactly the same thing last week! Except I didn’t realise we had a visitor until the caterpillar was boiled and floating at the top of the pan. So no happy ending here 😭 (I think this has also put me off Tesco broccoli for life).
— Verne (@VerneLewis) June 24, 2020
That happened to us when I was just 3 years old, we called it Pat. It was the 1st #butterfly I looked after & I miss Pat even now 🐛🥐🦋 #ButterflyWhisperer pic.twitter.com/h0qSjhc8aW
— Rebecca’s Butterfly Farm (@BeccasButterfli) June 25, 2020
What would you do if you found a caterpillar on a piece of broccoli? Would you name it and keep it as a pet?
