Primary production is when plants make their own food and use that food to live and grow. These plants do not depend on other plants, animals, or insects for their food. They can make their own with help from the sun, water, and air.

Common primary producers in a schoolyard ecosystem are:

• grass
• dandelion
• milkweed
• oxalis
• clover
• oxeye daisy
• Norway maple
• red oak