Andromona’s Adventures
Wonderful stories for adults and children! We follow the adventures of Andromona, a monarch butterfly. Her sense of wonder, bewilderment and mischief will delight and enthral.
Author: Amanda Thomas
Illustrator: Stories 1-3 Sheri Nicholls, Stories 4 onwards @Katithepainter Kati Haajanen
Chapter 1 : Andromona the Caterpillar Becomes a Chrysalis 🦋
Andromona the Monarch caterpillar crawled along the branch away from the leaf that had been her lunch. She was very full up and heavy now because since she first hatched from her egg, she was 100 times bigger. As she crawled along the twig, above her mother, a beautiful Monarch butterfly called down to her.
“Come on Andromona, I told you yesterday, it’s high time you became a chrysalis.”
“I know Andromummy, but I’m really enjoying the milk weed here in Andromeda Botanic
Gardens and I think it’s going to be pretty boring being a chrysalis.”
“Boring or not young lady, that’s what has to happen and besides which once you have your wings think how much more of Andromeda Botanic Gardens, you’ll be able to see!”
“I suppose so” Andromona said.
“Come on then, I’m waiting!” Andromummy said.
With a big sigh, Andromona found a quiet spot and began to shuffle her green and black stripy body into a chrysalis. The last thing she heard was Andromummy saying, “good girl. We’ll see you soon.”
Inside her chrysalis Andromona tried hard to see what was going on outside. She knew that her body was undergoing big changes and, in some ways, she was very excited to be able to see more of Andromeda Botanic Gardens, once she had her wings.
She felt quite drowsy now and she began to dream of soaring up above the trees and looking down on the gardens that were going to be her home. There would be so many flowers to visit and so many other animals to see. Andromummy had already warned her about some of them and in fact when she emerged from her chrysalis she was going to find out just how dangerous one of these animals could be – but that is a story for another day.
Andromeda has emerged 🦋
Andromona stirred in her chrysalis. She had woken from a deep sleep and she knew this was the time that she had been waiting for. Little by little she moved and pushed and then finally she was free and stood up on the twig that her chrysalis had been attached to. Andromona looked down.
Her little stumpy caterpillar legs were now long and graceful and as she unfurled her wings, they shone in the morning sun. The colours were beautiful.
Chapter 2 : Monkey Business 🦋
Andromona was just about to take her first flight when she heard a noise in the tree above her. She looked up and saw the outstretched paw of a green monkey. Just then, above her, a voice rang out.
“Andromona, FLY!” It was Andromummy.
And Andromona did fly! As the monkey’s long fingers brushed past her wings she took off and flew as fast as she could away from the tree. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Andromummy and she flew over and landed beside her on a leaf.
“Well done, Andromona. You are absolutely the most beautiful Monarch butterfly I have ever seen! Wasn’t it worth the wait?”
“I suppose so”, Andromummy said “but that was a close shave with the monkey. Are they always like that?”
Andromikey, Andromona’s brother piped up from further along the leaf.
“Yes they are! They will rip your wings off and suck your brains out if they catch you!”
“Now then Andromikey, that’s enough of that,” Andromummy said sternly.
“Well, it’s true!” Andromikey said, “come with me and I’ll show you around, Andromona. Andromeda Botanic Gardens is a pretty cool place!”
So Andromona went with her brother and soon had a new adventure – but that is a story for another day!
Andromikey, Andromona’s brother piped up from further along the leaf.
“Yes they are! They will rip your wings off and suck your brains out if they catch you!”
“Now then Andromikey, that’s enough of that,” Andromummy said sternly.
“Well, it’s true!” Andromikey said, “come with me and I’ll show you around, Andromona. Andromeda Botanic Gardens is a pretty cool place!”
So Andromona went with her brother and soon had a new adventure – but that is a story for another day!
Chapter 3 : A Close Shave 🦋
Andromona was visiting the milk weed in Andromeda Botanic Gardens. Andromikey was with her and as they settled down on the milk weed out of the corner of her eye, Andromona saw a creature stirring.
“Wow that looks like an interesting animal, I think I’ll go over and say hello!”
“Oh no you don’t that’s a lizard and if he catches you he’ll…”
“I know, suck my brains out and pull my wings off!” Andromona said.
“You got it sis!”
As they started to move away the lizard looked like it was going to go the opposite way. Then suddenly, before she could even flutter her wings to fly off the lizard had turned around and quick as a flash he had run to where Andromona was just taking off and jumping forward, the lizard grabbed her leg! Andromona shrieked and pulled hard. As she did that Andromikey flew at the lizard. As he swept down on the scaly creature it let go of Andromona and snapped wildly at Andromikey. But Andromona’s brother was too quick for him and he was up and away, shouting to Andromona to follow him.
As they landed on a branch above them, they saw the lizard slink off into the shrubbery of the Andromeda Botanic Gardens.
“Phew that was a close one!” Andromikey said
As he spoke Andromummy fluttered down to join them on the branch.
“Now then you two, what have you been up to, not getting up to mischief I hope?”
Andromona and Andromikey looked at each other and said.
“No Andromummy, not us!”
“Alright, listen to me both of you, I need to tell you something very important”. Andromummy did have something very important to say – but that is a story for another day.
Chapter 4 : Hurricane 🦋
Andromona was flitting around the milk weed plants in Andromeda Botanic Gardens. There was something in the air that felt different. She was looking for Andromummy who had said that she had something important to say to them and Andromikey was beside her.
“Do you feel something strange in the air?” she asked her brother.
Oh yes! I think we are going to have a storm, maybe even a hurricane,” he said.
“What’s that?” Andromona said.
“Well it’s when the wind blows very hard, it can even knock down some of the trees!”
“Now then Andromikey, don’t frighten your sister,” Andromummy said. “I was just coming to tell you two that there is indeed a hurricane coming.”
“Will we be safe?” Andromona was frightened now.
“It is true that a hurricane can do a lot of damage but look what the other butterflies are doing.” Andromummy said.
Andromona looked and saw the other Monarch butterflies fluttering down into the leaves underneath the bushes. Then they wriggled and wriggled until they were covered.
Andromona followed her mummy and brother into the leaves and then like the other butterflies she began to wriggle until she was all covered by the leaves. Beside Andromona, Andromummy put her wing over her to comfort her and then – the wind began to blow!
The noise was louder than anything that Andromona had ever heard and she snuggled under Andromummy’s wind as the wind blew and they started to hear loud cracks and thumps as branches fell from the trees onto the ground.
Then suddenly there was a loud crack over their heads and Andromona felt the leaves above them move as something heavy dropped. Would it hit them?…….
That is a story for another day!
Chapter 5 : Open Day 1 🦋
Andromona was flitting around the milk weed plants in Andromeda Botanic Gardens. There was something different in the feeling around the gardens. She was looking for Andromummy who had said that she had something important to say to her and Andromikey. The last time she had called them to her there had been a hurricane that had been very frightening, but they had all come through it. Andromona hoped that there wasn’t another hurricane coming.
“Do you feel something different today?” she asked her brother.
“Oh yes! I don’t know what it is, though.” he said. “Maybe a huge sea monster is coming to get us!”
“Now then Andromikey, don’t frighten your sister,” Andromummy said. “I was just coming to tell you two that there is an open day today. Lots of people are coming and they are coming to see lovely Monarch butterflies so lots of swooping and fluttering, all right? ”
“Yes!” Andromona and Andromikey said.
Just then a huge gang of children came running through the gardens.
Andromona and Andromikey started to swoop and flutter and Andromona was just on her second flutter when something flew past her, nearly hitting her delicate wing.
“Look out Andromona!” Andromikey shouted, “that boy has a catapult!”
Andromona looked down to see a little boy, a catapult in his hand, ready to fire a stone at them. He let go and the stone shaved past Andromona’s head knocking her bow right off.
Quick as a flash Andromikey fluttered down to where the bow had landed, but the boy had seen it fall too. As he landed the boy was there, his foot hovering above Andromikey. As the foot got closer to Andromikey, Andromona shrieked. Will Andromikey be squashed?
Well, that is a story for another day!
Chapter 6 : Open Day 2 🦋
The last time we saw Andromikey and Andromona, a naughty little boy who had come to Andromeda Botanical Gardens for Open Day had knocked Andromona’s hair bow off and Mikey had swooped down to try and pick it up. But now the naughty little boy was standing with his foot right over Andromikey!
As Andromikey saw the shadow of the boy’s shoe fall over him he knew he had
to act quickly. As quick as a flash he grabbed his sisters hair bow and zoomed out
from underneath the boy’s foot just as it crashed down onto the ground sending
little particles of dust spraying out all around it.
Above him Andromona could hardly look. She had closed her wings over her eyes
so she didn’t have to see what she was sure was the last moments of her brave
brother. “Phew that was a close thing!” Andromikey said and Andromona opened
her eyes to see her brother beside her holding out her hair bow! She was so
surprised she nearly fell off the little branch she had been sitting on.
But then Andromona and Andromikey watched in horror as down below them the boy took aim again with his catapult. Just then, a teacher who was in charge of the group of children, snatched the catapult out of the boy’s hands.
“Now then Leroy, that is a very naughty thing to do!” the teacher said, “you can have this back when we get back on the bus.”
Leroy looked extremely unhappy and stamped off after the other children.
“Watch this!” Andromikey said, and before Andromona could stop him he had swooped down to tickle the back of the boys neck, then the top of his ear and then his forehead. As the boy slapped out thinking he was being attacked by mosquito, Andromikey moved quickly to avoid his slapping hand and then flew back up to the branch to join his sister.
Together they watched the boy going down the path scratching and slapping at himself as he imagined he was under attack. The two of them were laughing when their mother Andromummy turned up.
“Well now you two I hope you’ve been keeping the visitors amused?” she said
Mikey and Mona looked at each other and burst out laughing again.
Chapter 7 : Celebrations 🦋
Andromona and Andromikey had noticed a lot of activity around the botanical gardens.
“What do you think is going on?” Andromona asked her brother as the pair of them dodged a brush that was sweeping a path near their milkweed.
“Andromummy says that there is going to be a ceremony,” Andromikey said. He loved to be the one to pass on information.
“What is a ceremony?” Andromona asked.
“Well I’m not too sure about that.” Andromikey’s wings drooped slightly.
Just then Andromummy fluttered by. “Come with me you two” she said, “I want to go to the greenhouse to see how the milkweed cuttings are coming on.”
“Yummy” Andromikey said and Andromummy laughed.
“They are not ready yet, they have a lot of growing to do before Troy plants them out in the garden for us. Oh and the ceremony is going to be a celebration of 70 years since Andromeda Botanical Gardens was created by Iris Bannochie.”
“Did you know her?” Andromona asked.
Andromummy laughed. “No darling, that was a lot of years ago but because of her and Sharon, who looks after us all here now, we have this wonderful place to live. They fluttered down on the window ledge outside the greenhouse and looked through at the tiny milkweed plants, lined up in their pots.”
“Future din-dins!” Andromikey said licking his lips and they all laughed.
And that afternoon, Andromummy, Andromona and Andromikey watched as people gathered in a lovely bright room, at the top of the botanical gardens where artwork covered the walls. There was even a senator, Andromummy told them. She was called Chantelle. Andromona was enchanted. “That name sounds like music!” she said.
They could not understand everything that was said but they loved the clapping and they loved hearing the familiar voice of their Sharon, as she introduced the guests. But most of all they loved the fact that they were safe and lived in the most beautiful of places.
Andromeda Botanic Gardens 