SUGAR FACTORIES

These are the leaves of a Ginko biloba tree....backlit as they are.  Bright and sunny today with no chance of rain (bummer) but maybe in a few days.  Humidity is tolerable but is working its way back up the scale.
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Leaves are, in fact, sugar factories.  Through the process of photosynthesis, leaves are able to combine CO2 and H2O to form simple sugars, most probably glucose...the suffix "ose" indicates a monosaccharide sugar (simple sugar).....glucose, frustose, galactose, etc.) according to the equation: Energy (sunlight) + 6CO2 + 6H2O - - -> C6H12O6 (glucose) + 6O2.
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The glucose can then be used as an energy source by the tree and in the breakdown of the sugars, intracellularly, the energy holding the sugar molecules together, when combined with oxygen, is used to perform the work of the cell and it leaves behind CO2 and H2O as waste products which can be used again for photosynthesis.  Yes, producers leave oxygen as a waste product from photosynthesis but then use some of it to break down the very same sugars they produced to get out the stored energy in the sugar molecule...according to the equation:  C6H12O6 (glucose) + 6O2 - - -> 6CO2 + 6H2O + Energy, typically in the form of ATP (Adenosine Tri-phosphate).
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In effect, a tree makes its own food and is therefore classified as a producer.  Unlike producers, consumers cannot make their own food supply and must, therefore, consume other consumers or producers and get the energy they need for life from them.
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Thus endeth the biology lesson for the day.  Best in Large.