The plants, animals, and insects which live in an ecosystem that has been disturbed want that ecosystem to stay disturbed.

Every time you and your friends play in your schoolyard, you are helping keep the ecosystem disturbed. Plants like dandelion and clover need lots of open area and lots of sunlight. By walking on the soil so much, you help prevent too many forest trees and shrubs from growing. This keeps the schoolyard from becoming too thick with forest trees and shrubs, which would create too much shade for schoolyard plants like dandelion and clover. REMEMBER, it is still good to have some trees in a schoolyard ecosystem because some schoolyard animals, like red squirrels, need trees!

Your school is even an important part of the schoolyard ecosystem! Some schoolyard birds, like rock doves (pigeons) and European starlings, like to feed and nest in areas where people have built houses and other buildings. Next time you are in your schoolyard, count how many birds you see land on your school.

So, what if everybody stopped walking on the soil in your schoolyard? Or what if there were no buildings in your schoolyard? Do you think the same plants, animals, and insects would want to live there?