are these hoppers bad for my plants?

What a great picture! How did you persuade him/her to pose like that? Seriously, I haven't heard anything bad about grasshoppers. I think they are pretty harmless. Henry likes chasing them - good fun for him but possibly not for them. lol.

I'm not aware of grasshoppers being a problem - we are growing a small psuedo-meadow area and would be over the moon if a few grasshoppers moved in, Their presence would tell me that we must be doing something right - so congratulations to you. Locusts, on the other hand. . . .

I have these too, not seen them that close up though, but can here them lots and catch the odd jump as I brush past them. lol