Did you ever notice that bugs that splat on your windshield have different colored blood? Bug blood is called hemolymph. It is clear and composed mostly of water. It is tinged with color, depending on what the bug eats. If the blood is green, the bug ate leaves. If the blood is yellow, it ate nectar from flowers. If the blood is black, the bug ate other bugs. Sometimes you will see what looks like red blood in a squashed insect like a fly. This is not blood, but a pigment from the bug’s eyes.
The next time you take a car trip or before you wash your windshield, have your carschoolers identify how many bugs there are and what they ate. You’ll be surprised at how diverse the insects on your windshield will be!
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