Robert Snetsinger Ph.D.
- Professor Emeritus of Entomology
- (Also known as "Butterfly Bob")
Department of Entomology
501 ASI Building, University Park, PA 16802
Or/Home Address:
900 Fox Hill Road
State College PA 16803
State College, Pennsylvania 16803
Education
- B.S. University of Illinois, Urbana 1952
- M.S. University of Illinois, Urbana 1953
- Ph.D. University of Illinois, Urbana 1960
Research:
Butterfly Gardening
Teaching:
Informal training of Master Gardeners in biodiversity and youth and others about butterfly gardening
Main Interest: Butterfly Conservation
I am involved in helping the general public establish butterfly gardens. This involves creating new butterfly friendly habitats and restoration of neglected waste areas. For the past seventeen years, I have been developing the Snetsinger Butterfly Garden in Tom Tudek Memorial Park in the State College area. In 1996, the three-acre site was old field habitat with a flora of agricultural weeds; initially there were eight resident species of butterflies. By gradually enhancing the site with 70 some species of mostly of native plants that provided nectar sources for adult butterflies and host species for caterpillars, 34 species of butterflies were residents as of 2007. In late May of 2009, B.t.v. spray drift from Centre County's Gypsy moth control polluted the Garden, killing the larvae of Monarchs and other species of butterflies. In 2009, 22 resident species survived and in 2010, 17 resident species were present in the Garden. In 2012, there was some recovery; 24 resident species were observed and the numbers of butterflies observed were nearly back to the 2007 numbers.
Publications:
Snetsinger, Robert, Carlos Rosario & Hipolito O’Farrill-Nieves, 2012: Termite Research at Penn State. FFEM Newsletter 11: (1)
Snetsinger, Robert, 2011: Manual for Butterfly Gardeners Who Will Save the Butterflies. Pub. Friends of the Frost Entomological Museum % Dept. Ent. Penn State; 275 p.
Snetsinger, Robert, 2011: Report on the Butterflies of Centre County, Pennsylvania. FFEM Newsletter: 10:(2) 8-9.
Snetsinger, Robert, 2011: Report on the Butterfly Garden in Tudek Memorial Park, State College PA. FFEM Newsletter: 10: (1) 3-4.
Snetsinger, Robert, 2010: Should There Be a Tax on Taxonomy? FFEM Newsletter: 9 (2) 5.
Snetsinger, Robert, 2009: Book Review: The Dangerous World of Butterflies. FFEM Newsletter: 8 (2) 4
.Snetsinger, Robert, 2009: Buggy Letters and Phone Calls. FFEM Newsletter: 8 (1) 4.
