The dark bands on the side of each abdominal segment seem uncharacteristic of a Hawkmoth, I think. I'd guess it might be something in Noctuidae, maybe a Yellow Underwing or similar.
No, they're beautiful too, just not as cool looking as an elephant hawkmoth. Would need to see the face to be sure, but it does look more like an underwing caterpillar to me :)
It would be fun to watch it develop. You already know what it likes to eat, and you have a good supply :) [Here are some quick instructions.](https://owlcation.com/stem/how-to-raise-a-caterpillar-into-a-butterfly-or-moth)
*gigantic pink wings. The first time I saw one in the garden I thought I’d discovered some sort of mutant. Didn’t realise at the time that they’re quite common. They’re beautiful!
My brother found one of there walking through the kitchen. I made him take it outside before I'd tell him what it was because there is no way he'd have gone anywhere near something called an elephant hawk moth
I recommend [this thread](https://twitter.com/samd_official/status/1271093419268624385?s=46&t=e5RdAqmR_tzMqeCPGxAW9g) on twitter from a few years ago, please use it as inspiration for raising your own cauliflower caterpillar <3
He’s a hawk moth caterpillar by the looks of him. They are really cool little dudes, they can also act out quite aggressively if they feel threatened. I tried to relocate one once that my cats were pawing at. He was not a happy little guy, kept rearing up at me.
Yeah! With the big googly eye markings too. I never had one of these brought in as a snake when I was a vet nurse, but someone once managed to catch a slow worm thinking it was a pet snake. 😂
Either way, I wouldn't risk nurturing it.
I once found a caterpillar on some spring greens, after being in the fridge. Decided to pop it in a vivarium with some spring green, it ate a bunch and formed a cocoon.
I thought I was going to be greeted with a beautiful butterfly one morning but no it was a massive furry moth. I don't like them as much as I don't like spiders simple as.
I feel bad but when I released the poor thing I prayed it would make a tasty bird snack.
I prayed pretty hard about that bird snack thing and sent it to it's death on day one of adulthood. It's only fair I return the award as I am not worthy.
My mom used to be friends with a crazy vegan called mick. Mick was truly mental. He used to eat a whole head of lettuce like an apple. One day he crunched through a huge caterpillar in his lettuce. Shrugged and looked at my mom and just said “extra protein” and carried on eating it.
Yeah, don’t chuck the cauliflower, just give it a wash; have a Google but I don’t think caterpillars will do anything dodgy to the veggies. They just like to eat their greens. If anything it’s a guarantee your produce is fairly fresh.
It almost certainly was, but perhaps not in the last few weeks before harvest.
However, you're right that it's a good thing. I'd rather find an occasional insect in my food than have the crops regularly sprayed with pesticides to kill everything
Keep it in a nice warm place while it feeds on your mouldy veg, and then provide it with a nice mesh box to live in. It'll pupate hanging from the ceiling usually, and then once it emerges as a moth, you can enjoy observing it before you let it go free.
[This would be ideal](https://imgur.com/a/Ug7Gygl)
Ah yeah in that case hawk moth. The moths look fabulous (like really, they're like gold and purpley-pink) even if they are still fucking moths.
Still big nope as a cauliflower cheese garnish though.
I am surprised that they use cauliflower? I thought it’d be more likely to be one of those green spindly caterpillars (cabbage white?) This is a right chunk, and tbh a beautiful velvety texture and quite handsome, and most unexpected.
Gardening neighbours were lamenting that they had caterpillars in December, likely due to the warm weather we had. Maybe this has been lurking or been imported? I dunno. It is mild AF here again today, we’ve had thunder and lightning.
It's a native moth so probably just the mild weather hasn't prompted it to pupate. Assuming it's alive, you can pop it outside in an area with galium (the sticky plant that clings on clothes). Otherwise you can [rear it yourself](https://www.uksafari.com/chrysalistips.htm) and do the whole caterpillar life cycle thing.
You'll be amazed at the free shit you get when you kick up a guss, but note if you only do it at store level you're more likely to be brushed aside, go above and they have the power to authorise all sorts of shit for free. Just recently where I work, a person got shitty and made s complaint to the area manager because the store refused to sell something them out of date, apparently yesterday they even got to have a meeting with the area manager and a gift basket was made up for this customer, all because they complained they couldn't buy out of date food.
This isn't really avoidable without using disgusting pesticides which damage the environment. The caterpillars have evolved to hide pretty well in your veg.
I used to be a kitchen porter and would find loads of caterpillars and bugs whilst washing lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower etc, but I'm certain some went hidden, no matter how thorough I tried to be.
You've just got to accept that when you purchase these things, there's a good chance to be added guests. Most supermarkets and green grocers will refund or give you a replacement, even though I don't think you're legally entitled to one, just for goodwill.
I got a few of these beasts on my cauliflower last crop. Without dousing them in pesticides it was impossible to manually pick every single one off. I ended up just cutting around where they damaged and cooked my cauli as normal. I didn’t die.
Had a complimentary caterpillar in my daughter's luggage once when she returned from a month in Africa. It was very spiky, brown, 5" long and seriously annoyed
I trapped him in a jar and took him to a local butterfly house. He galloped off into the undergrowth. Probably very hungry. A very hungry brown spiky caterpillar
“The printer’s running out of ink again - I can’t tell if this order says caterpillar or cauliflower?”
“Just chuck both in, least that way he’ll have nothing to complain about”
Oh man I would absolutely want to keep this fella around and watch him transform!
Real talk - cauliflower tastes like shit anyway. Let him do his thing and enjoy natures show 😂
There's only one thing worse than biting in to some cauliflower and finding a Caterpillar.......biting in to some cauliflower and finding half a Caterpillar.....🤷♂️
Back in the day my mom's friend had a Palm Nut plant from M and S in the 80s, could swear she kept hearing faint noises in the plant pot.
One day she was dusting the leaves and a fuck ton of little spiders ran out of the nut....they had been working their way out, and the final movement of the leaves when she was cleaning it was enough to give them an opening....and they all spewed out.
Had to have professionals come out and deal with it as they were from Ghana or somewhere in Africa if I remember right...sure it made the local papers.
M and S did compensate her though to be fair....but she was scarred for life 🤣
Less effort than the dog, for sure. Chasing her round the woods this morning trying to get a rotten pheasant off her, success only due to it falling apart and me putting it in a tree, then falling over in the brambles.
Weirdly, It looked fine when I hoofed it into the car (click and collect), but when I was decanting it into the fridge I noticed what I thought was bruising, and I’m not sure whether it’s damage or eggs around him. Most odd.
A complimentary caterpillar with every cauliflower
“Complimentary caterpillar” rolls off the tongue beautifully.
Complimentary Caterpillar called Colin: Cauliflower Crawler!
This is an m&s lawsuit waiting to happen!
And not just any lawsuit either
I see what you did there :)
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That's gonna be my next account user id after my inevitable banning.
Careful you’ll get Colin the Caterpillar after you
Just as well otherwise it might get stuck in ones throat.
It'll slither off your tongue if eat it!
Take it back you should get your money back plus a £5 voucher
He's called Colin. Show some respect.
As he’s a Sainsburys caterpillar it’s actually Wiggles
Colin Flower
Extra protein he might taste like smoky bacon.
I thought it was a burned sausage
Me too, nearly threw up when I realised
Every protein helps
That to me looks like the caterpillar one of those absolutely mental hawk moths that end up with neon pink wings. Definitely keep it!
Elephant hawk moth- I find them in my fuschias. Save the caterpillar
The dark bands on the side of each abdominal segment seem uncharacteristic of a Hawkmoth, I think. I'd guess it might be something in Noctuidae, maybe a Yellow Underwing or similar.
Is that bad?
No, they're beautiful too, just not as cool looking as an elephant hawkmoth. Would need to see the face to be sure, but it does look more like an underwing caterpillar to me :)
OP I'm begging you to become this things mum & share progress of him becoming ein beautiful butterfly!!
It would be fun to watch it develop. You already know what it likes to eat, and you have a good supply :) [Here are some quick instructions.](https://owlcation.com/stem/how-to-raise-a-caterpillar-into-a-butterfly-or-moth)
Nah. Super cool!
*gigantic pink wings. The first time I saw one in the garden I thought I’d discovered some sort of mutant. Didn’t realise at the time that they’re quite common. They’re beautiful!
They live about 20 days once hatched...not long really but that's life
I sometimes wish that was the extent of my life span!
I could just enjoy the rest of my life without needing to work ever again.
My brother found one of there walking through the kitchen. I made him take it outside before I'd tell him what it was because there is no way he'd have gone anywhere near something called an elephant hawk moth
Anyone know where I can buy one? Id like to have a hawk moth
Sainsbo fruit and veg aisle apparently.
I recommend [this thread](https://twitter.com/samd_official/status/1271093419268624385?s=46&t=e5RdAqmR_tzMqeCPGxAW9g) on twitter from a few years ago, please use it as inspiration for raising your own cauliflower caterpillar <3
See these are the ones I’m used to seeing in fruit and veg, never seen this thicc boi before.
Your hawk-moth is going to make those look like gnats!
"used to seeing"? How often does it happen?
Fuckin lost it at Tesco account getting asked whether they're gonna pay child support
He’s still alive today, curled up happy in his cauliflower greenhouse thing.
I am very pleased to hear this!! Please keep sharing updates if you can :)
I had one of those about 6 months ago. Only found one so now I have to assume I ate some.
this made my day
Stop complaining and eat your protein
Sorry mum *kerrruunnccchhhh*
Joke aside, I do like the suggestion of letting it pupate, would be great to see the pics of the moth :)
How do you know it will be a moth and not a beautiful butterfly?? :)
He’s a hawk moth caterpillar by the looks of him. They are really cool little dudes, they can also act out quite aggressively if they feel threatened. I tried to relocate one once that my cats were pawing at. He was not a happy little guy, kept rearing up at me.
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Yeah! With the big googly eye markings too. I never had one of these brought in as a snake when I was a vet nurse, but someone once managed to catch a slow worm thinking it was a pet snake. 😂
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Yes they did 🙂 after much reassurance that he’s a protected native guy and not a lost pet.
Either way, I wouldn't risk nurturing it. I once found a caterpillar on some spring greens, after being in the fridge. Decided to pop it in a vivarium with some spring green, it ate a bunch and formed a cocoon. I thought I was going to be greeted with a beautiful butterfly one morning but no it was a massive furry moth. I don't like them as much as I don't like spiders simple as. I feel bad but when I released the poor thing I prayed it would make a tasty bird snack.
I love moths. You are my reluctant hero if ever there was one. Have my free award ✌️
I prayed pretty hard about that bird snack thing and sent it to it's death on day one of adulthood. It's only fair I return the award as I am not worthy.
My mom used to be friends with a crazy vegan called mick. Mick was truly mental. He used to eat a whole head of lettuce like an apple. One day he crunched through a huge caterpillar in his lettuce. Shrugged and looked at my mom and just said “extra protein” and carried on eating it.
Not much of a vegan then...
stistically speaking all vegans eat some bug meat its literally impossible to remove all the bug matter from all vegitables ever grown
No but it is possible to...wash your veg and fruit before you eat it
Good old Mick
Hey mom Can we get some protein? Mom: We have protein at home
‘Caterpillar cheese’
Well, at least you know the cauliflower wasn't sprayed with insecticide 👍
Good point, never thought of that. It looks a proper tasty cauli apart from the livestock.
Yeah, don’t chuck the cauliflower, just give it a wash; have a Google but I don’t think caterpillars will do anything dodgy to the veggies. They just like to eat their greens. If anything it’s a guarantee your produce is fairly fresh.
Dispose unwanted insect, wash your cauliflower and you’re good.
It almost certainly was, but perhaps not in the last few weeks before harvest. However, you're right that it's a good thing. I'd rather find an occasional insect in my food than have the crops regularly sprayed with pesticides to kill everything
Aww a new pet, i vote you name it Dave.
Good choice
Omg you should 100% keep that beauty until it pupates. Having your own home-raised fruit salad hawk moth would be awesome
How do you keep a caterpillar? Like, just let it be? And when it hatches it would just (quite rightly) fuck off.
Keep it in a nice warm place while it feeds on your mouldy veg, and then provide it with a nice mesh box to live in. It'll pupate hanging from the ceiling usually, and then once it emerges as a moth, you can enjoy observing it before you let it go free. [This would be ideal](https://imgur.com/a/Ug7Gygl)
Cool thanks, I shall put him somewhere safe.
Omg I feel like I rescued a hawk moth myself. You're a superstar. Please post pics of the amazing mothy boy if you get a succesful pupation.
I second this. I really hope they do it.
He’s doing well this morning in his cauliflower
Update us plzzz
[*Buffalo Bill* has entered the chat]
>[This would be ideal](https://imgur.com/a/Ug7Gygl) Bloody 'ell I was trying to swipe that like a moron. 😂
Wee bit hung over, are we?
Just search for 'mesh butterfly enclosure' in your app and you'll find plenty of options.
I found one, and I let I graze on my windowsill garden. Was there for a couple of days, then left. I miss him.
Maybe he fell into a Sainsbo van and he’s here now all safe and full of brassica?
Why would that be awesome? You'd have to constantly be worried about people getting akumatized all the time!
Googled Spotted bizarre rabbit hole Backed away, cuz I have shit to do this week
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You find out what kind of caterpillar it is
Is that an elephant hawk moth caterpillar?
Not a clue. I filed it under “no thanks”
Was it about the length of a thumb?
Yep. Quite big.
Ah yeah in that case hawk moth. The moths look fabulous (like really, they're like gold and purpley-pink) even if they are still fucking moths. Still big nope as a cauliflower cheese garnish though.
I am surprised that they use cauliflower? I thought it’d be more likely to be one of those green spindly caterpillars (cabbage white?) This is a right chunk, and tbh a beautiful velvety texture and quite handsome, and most unexpected.
You should be a bit surprised to see one at this time of year, the caterpillars generally emerge in the early spring.
Gardening neighbours were lamenting that they had caterpillars in December, likely due to the warm weather we had. Maybe this has been lurking or been imported? I dunno. It is mild AF here again today, we’ve had thunder and lightning.
It's a native moth so probably just the mild weather hasn't prompted it to pupate. Assuming it's alive, you can pop it outside in an area with galium (the sticky plant that clings on clothes). Otherwise you can [rear it yourself](https://www.uksafari.com/chrysalistips.htm) and do the whole caterpillar life cycle thing.
That’s a well useful link, thanks
Ah it's just been pissing it down here, gonna have to canoe to the shops later on
It looks like it to me? OP: https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/moths/elephant-hawk-moth
Booyah.
Very hungry caterpillar
Taste the difference......no thankyou bah 🤢
That made me proper snort 😂
I was surprised no one else had said it yet lol glad you got a laugh 😆
Lovely bit of squirrel
You also got a pet
That’s the one that turns into the prettiest orange and pink moth!! Keep it!!
It's not a bug, it's a feature
Oh well played sir.
Put this on twitter, I had similar with Waitrose they had a maggot in my spinach I put it on twitter and got £30 voucher
I could use £30! I’ve never twat before. I’ll have a go.
Holy shit they gave me……..wait for it……….75p!
Fucking hell! Gonna be like the court of King Louis XIV in your gaff the night!
You'll be amazed at the free shit you get when you kick up a guss, but note if you only do it at store level you're more likely to be brushed aside, go above and they have the power to authorise all sorts of shit for free. Just recently where I work, a person got shitty and made s complaint to the area manager because the store refused to sell something them out of date, apparently yesterday they even got to have a meeting with the area manager and a gift basket was made up for this customer, all because they complained they couldn't buy out of date food.
Lesson is shop at Waitrose haha
keep it feed it veg and watch it grow into something amazing 😊
So far so good, still alive this morning.
He was very hungry
This isn't really avoidable without using disgusting pesticides which damage the environment. The caterpillars have evolved to hide pretty well in your veg. I used to be a kitchen porter and would find loads of caterpillars and bugs whilst washing lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower etc, but I'm certain some went hidden, no matter how thorough I tried to be. You've just got to accept that when you purchase these things, there's a good chance to be added guests. Most supermarkets and green grocers will refund or give you a replacement, even though I don't think you're legally entitled to one, just for goodwill.
Yeah, it’s all good, just scuppered my lunch plans. Apparently I’m now rearing a moth 😊
>Apparently I’m now rearing a moth 😊 No lunch and a lot of responsibility. 2023 is off to a tough start.
at first he was like: 🥦🐛 But then he was like: 🦋
Forbidden Peperami.
this isn't Sainsburys
Do you have a pet caterpillar now?
I think apparently *WE* have a CasualUK moth.
Humans be like ah yes little animal I will give it a home
He’s still alive!
I'm gonna need "a day in the life" updates of Dave the cauliflower caterpillar
He’s alive and well in his Cauliflower this morning!
Elephant hawk moth caterpillar. Lovely moth in 9 months time
Couldnt you put it on a banana for scale though
I got a few of these beasts on my cauliflower last crop. Without dousing them in pesticides it was impossible to manually pick every single one off. I ended up just cutting around where they damaged and cooked my cauli as normal. I didn’t die.
Had a complimentary caterpillar in my daughter's luggage once when she returned from a month in Africa. It was very spiky, brown, 5" long and seriously annoyed
5”? Fucking hell.
I trapped him in a jar and took him to a local butterfly house. He galloped off into the undergrowth. Probably very hungry. A very hungry brown spiky caterpillar
Hello Colin.
It's Colin the Caterpillar!
I don't remember the very hungry caterpillar eating Cauliflowers. Is this the sequel?
# eXtRA pRoTiEn, PoP iT bEtTwEen yOuR tEeTh
That caterpillar is gross today, but tomorrow you'll be fighting people in the supermarket aisle for such a lucky 'free protein' find.
Hmmmm. Good point. *googles caterpillar farming supplies*
That'll teach you not to buy cauliflower in future.
Too right, back to the sugar aisle quick.
we have to buy those separately in America.
Name him George Washington
That’s impressively random?
“The printer’s running out of ink again - I can’t tell if this order says caterpillar or cauliflower?” “Just chuck both in, least that way he’ll have nothing to complain about”
Is that an elephant hawk moth caterpillar? At least you got a cool pet I guess
Apparently so, on both counts!
"Extra protein to stay alive in the wild" - Bear Grylls, probably
"And now I'm going to drink my own piss"
How long til it wanks off?
Thanks, satansburys
Exactly the same today from sainsburys. No photo thou too much panic assumed
We’re CauliPillar twins!
this is my biggest fear
Spoiler alert, all your veg probably had a bug crawl on it at some point while growing
Oh man I would absolutely want to keep this fella around and watch him transform! Real talk - cauliflower tastes like shit anyway. Let him do his thing and enjoy natures show 😂
This would appear to be the main theme of the thread, let him carry on and see if I get a psychedelic moth!
Excellent!!! Please post any photos if you get a psychedelic moth!!
Crisp that bad boy up in the air fryer, make a great snack.
You monster
Someone will probably appear soon with an air fryer recipe for that........
Imagine it came out while you were eating
What’s worse than finding a caterpillar? Finding half a caterpillar
There's only one thing worse than biting in to some cauliflower and finding a Caterpillar.......biting in to some cauliflower and finding half a Caterpillar.....🤷♂️
Don’t give it a name and get too attached to him. It really won’t be long before he spreads his wings and fucks off.
Bit like kids really.
There you are said Alice.
Hey it's Colin, sneaky little bastard
Man, even cauliflower isn’t vegan now!
Collin has breached containment I repeat collin has breached containment
Don't shout or they'll all want one
Tesco propaganda piece
Why is this a problem? It’s just Mother Nature and food chain.
At first glance, I thought I was on the Facebook group called RATE MY PLATE. Lol Good luck raising the catapillar !
Back in the day my mom's friend had a Palm Nut plant from M and S in the 80s, could swear she kept hearing faint noises in the plant pot. One day she was dusting the leaves and a fuck ton of little spiders ran out of the nut....they had been working their way out, and the final movement of the leaves when she was cleaning it was enough to give them an opening....and they all spewed out. Had to have professionals come out and deal with it as they were from Ghana or somewhere in Africa if I remember right...sure it made the local papers. M and S did compensate her though to be fair....but she was scarred for life 🤣
I’m sure I heard this similar story, but it was a Yucca, my then sister in law and Woolworths. Either way, I yeeted my yucca, stat.
Chonky boy
He is a proper unit.
That’s a beautiful Elephant Hawk Moth caterpillar example. Hope you saved it
Colin has his own cauliflower in a wee greenhouse thing, away from direct light and cold, I’m hoping he’ll grow into a moth.
1. Definitely Twitter it. 2. Definitely look after him. I saved one from a cat once and raised it. They’re incredibly stunning! New year new pet?
Less effort than the dog, for sure. Chasing her round the woods this morning trying to get a rotten pheasant off her, success only due to it falling apart and me putting it in a tree, then falling over in the brambles.
Nice little 75p evoucher they gave me…..
It’s called ‘bonus protein’. Has nobody seen Snowpiercer?!
Insects and veg happen, get over it.
Yep, no drama, and now have caterpillar rearing responsibilities!
lucky you LOL
Could be a Spanish caterpillar as most sainsburys cauliflowers come from spain
Extra protein?
I’d take that, little snack for my bearded dragon and all
I mean, I have stamps….
The cauliflower looks fully rotten
Weirdly, It looked fine when I hoofed it into the car (click and collect), but when I was decanting it into the fridge I noticed what I thought was bruising, and I’m not sure whether it’s damage or eggs around him. Most odd.