I like grasshoppers.
I remember catching them in a big field beside our house with my brother when we were only three and four years old.
Everything about them was fascinating, and we both thoroughly examined with wonder the grasshoppers we caught.
We observed their proclivity to form a dark brown chewed-tobacco looking spit from their mouths when they were seemingly nervous. The spit was kind of powerful, as it could stain your fingers.
Sometimes we felt very lucky to find two grasshoppers together - one would be "piggy-back" riding the other. Of course back then, we just thought they were, indeed, piggy-back riding OR that they might even be twins! How exciting! We had no idea they were in the process of reproduction.
We examined everything about grasshoppers short of tasting them.
Some people do eat grasshoppers, though. I've heard of chocolate covered ones that are considered a delicacy for some people. (No thanks.) If they were really that tasty, they wouldn't have to be covered with chocolate now would they?
I will have to catch a grasshopper this summer and re-examine the specimen. I am wondering if my memory is right about their hind legs having spikes that are smooth when you feel them in one direction, but are spiky if you feel them the wrong way. I would like to feel that again.
Having handled lots of grasshoppers as a young girl, I know they can easily survive accidental amputation of a limb - and no fluid comes out at the point of amputation (at least I don't remember any). Loss of a limb does, however, introduce some challenging hop direction issues for the affected insect.
I have a little grandson now, and he is getting big enough for me to introduce him to the joys of grasshoppers soon. I am looking forward to it! We will get to that right after the lightning bugs and june bugs. : )
(Oh - the above picture is one I took of a little grasshopper in our garden)...