Snetsinger Butterfly Garden

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Snetsinger Butterfly Garden

The park is located within Tudek Memorial Park in State College, PA.

The Snetsinger Butterfly Garden is a unique three acre habitat developed by Dr. Robert Snetsinger (aka Butterfly Bob) to promote pollinator conservation and environmental stewardship. The Snetsinger Butterfly Garden is a unique three acre habitat developed under the direction of Dr. Robert Snetsinger (aka Butterfly Bob) to promote pollinator conservation and issues of environmental stewardship. Th

e Snetsinger Butterfly Garden was created in partnership with the Tudek Trust, Ferguson Township and Centre Region Parks and Recreation. The Master Gardeners of Centre County joined this partnership in 2007 to work with Dr. Snetsinger to develop and maintain this habitat as a major educational resource for the community. Since 2007 Dr. Snetsinger and the Master Gardeners have worked to develop additional partnerships that would expand the opportunities for educational outreach and research. Penn State's Frost Entomological Museum and its support organization, the Friends of Frost, assist with the development of educational displays and exhibits, outreach programs and research. Also involved in these activities and programs is Penn State's Center for Pollinator Research. Many community organizations work with the Master Gardeners as partners in various events and activities including Penn State's Shavers Creek Environmental Center, the Pennsylvania Native Plant Society, Muddy Paws Marsh, Discovery Space of Central PA, the Bellefonte Children's Garden, Centre Crest, and several local schools.

05/31/2026

Save the Date
When making your plans for summer fun, don’t forget the SBG! Our programs will appeal to curious minds of all ages. Join us for:
Discovery Day–Saturday, June 27
Mini Bioblitz–Satuday, August 1
Monarchs on the Move–Saturday, September 12
More info to come, or visit snetsingerbutterflygarden.org.
Take a break from screens and scrolling, and come on out and discover the many wonders of our natural world!

05/24/2026

Visitors to the SBG may have noticed that the meadow backing our demonstration gardens was mowed this spring. Not to worry–it’s all part of the plan.
Through the efforts of local organizations such as the Clearwater Conservancy, many in central PA are familiar with the importance of wetland restoration. But did you know: Like wetlands, meadows are also crucial for biodiversity. In fact, PA meadows have been identified as a high priority for restoration, reclamation and maintenance by the PA Wildlife Action Plan. Why? It’s not just about the pollen and nectar: Meadows also create conservation corridors–connected landscapes that allow populations to move, feed and reproduce across increasingly fragmented habitats.
But even meadows need a little management! Early-successional woody trees and shrubs naturally spring up in such conditions. While they can be spot-removed, eventually a larger treatment such as mowing is necessary. This also helps to control the spread of invasive species (looking at you, Amur honeysuckle!). In late autumn, the meadow will be seeded again with PA native species.
To learn more about establishing and maintaining native meadows, check out our recent podcast: Native Meadows with Paula Whyman
Photo: Jen Neal

05/17/2026

Need a versatile native shrub with excellent year-round interest? Viburnum lentago, AKA nannyberry or blackhaw viburnum, features showy white flowers in May, followed by burgundy leaf color and dark blue berries in autumn. These berries are a welcome late season food source for birds and mammals (including, according to folklore, nanny goats!) This large upright shrub is a member of the same family as elderberry (Adoxaceae) so you can expect it to spread and form colonies, making it a good choice for a privacy screen or hedgerow. It can also be maintained as a small tree by pruning stems and removing the suckers at the base.
This viburnum is a superstar host plant for the caterpillars of numerous small moth species. Such larval residents as pink prominent, hummingbird clearwing, and green marvel moths can all make a home here. The resulting bountiful buffet makes it a top wildlife plant for nesting birds who are seeking a good supply of protein for their nestlings.
Like other viburnums, lentago has “perfect flowers” (containing both male and female parts), but the flowers are self-infertile. This means that they’ll flower profusely whether or not pollination occurs, but poor fruiting will result in lone specimens–so make sure to provide a friend or two!

05/15/2026

What better way to celebrate than to join on this week's Guided Outings for a tour of the Snetsinger Butterfly Garden habitat!
Tom Tudek Memorial Park, the most frequently visited park in the Centre region, is home to the Snetsinger Butterfly Garden Habitat (SBG), an educational site of approximately 3 acres located in the northwest portion of the park. It’s a diverse ecosystem with over 40 species of resident butterflies, many native bees and birds, and hundreds of native plants that serve as food and shelter for pollinators and other wildlife.
One of ClearWater Conservancy’s first projects, Tom Tudek Memorial Park was a proposed site for a shopping mall in the 1970’s before citizens organized to prevent its development. The Tudek Family generously donated much of the land for the park in 1990, and today this 91-acre area includes a community garden, dog park, small horse farm, playground and pavilions, 61 acres of passive land, and the 3-acre Snetsinger Butterfly Garden habitat.
Tours are Sunday, May 17 at 1 and 3pm, and Thursday, May 21 at 6 pm. For more info about these and other events, visit https://www.centredoutdoors.org/events

05/10/2026

It’s Mother’s Day, and that traditionally means flowers! Hopefully, you’re shopping locally for your plants and cut flowers, but the chilly, unpredictable spring weather we've had has been a challenge for gardeners and nurseries alike. This is where native plants really shine! No need to baby them–give them a suitable location and enough moisture, and they will thrive no matter what the changeable climate throws at them.
This year, why not treat Mom to some beautiful flowers that will last for years, multiply freely, and need no pampering? Flowering perennials such as columbine (Aquilegia canadensis, pictured), wild geranium (Geranium maculatum), coreopsis and coneflower provide color throughout the year. Native shrubs like smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) or sweetspire (Itea virginica) are a good alternative to the traditional potted azalea. And vines like coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) will transform a trellis or arbor while attracting hummingbirds and other long-tongued pollinators.
All will give pleasure for years to come–and you’ll be showing your love for Mother Earth, too!
Photo: Pam Ford

05/03/2026

Those silken webs we spot in trees such as black cherry can be a cause for alarm for gardeners. But never fear: In spring, these webs are the sign of native eastern tent caterpillars (Malacosoma americanum),who are an essential part of another, very important web–the food web!
Our native black cherry (Prunus serotina) is a primary host plant for many caterpillars, including the eastern tent. These gregarious (collectively web-building) caterpillars are often confused with fall webworms (Hyphantrie cunea) , but it’s easy to tell the difference: Eastern tents build their webs in the forks of branches in the spring, while fall webworms can be found at the tips of branches from late summer into autumn.
Eastern tent larvae mature in their web, venturing out to consume foliage of trees in the Prunus tribe. (Healthy trees can withstand defoliation and should recover without intervention.) Once they are mature, they leave the tree and march forth to find a place to pupate. No longer interested in eating, these wanderers pose no threat to plants–but are a welcome source of protein for over 60 species of birds, who are often feeding their young at the time. If they’re able to avoid hungry avians, the stout, fuzzy tan/brown moth emerges in summer to lay eggs which will overwinter– if not found by predators such as beetles, parasitic wasps and of course, birds!

04/26/2026

The delicate, pinkish blossoms of rue anemone are among the earliest woodland flowers to appear in spring. Found on wooded slopes and ridges in nature, this member of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae) can be found in the SBG’s Woodland garden. It’s one of several spring ephemerals that relies on ants for seed dispersal (myrmecochory).In addition to its fleeting beauty, rue anemone has an interesting seed dispersal story, known as myrmecochory.
Ants gather the seeds and store them in underground nests, feeding on the fleshy appendage (elaiosome) attached to each seed. The elaiosomes are nutritional powerhouses, rich in fats and sugars, so the ants are highly motivated to take the trouble of transporting them back to the nest. After dinner, the remains are disposed of in the ants’ waste tunnels, which are filled with rich organic matter--the perfect fertilizer for new plants. In this way, the ants essentially ‘plant’ the seeds in an environment where they’ll be protected until they germinate the following spring.
A true ephemeral, it will set seed soon and go dormant until next year, so enjoy it while it lasts!
Photo: Lisa Schneider

04/23/2026

Monday night’s late, hard freeze played havoc with many cultivated plants, but our natives are still going strong! Surviving pollinators will be sustained by favorites such as violets and golden ragwort until the next wave of blossom comes along.

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day from the SBG!

Address

400 Herman Drive
State College, PA
16803

Website

http://snetsingerbutterflygarden.org/

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