AccuWeather.com

By Grace Muller, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

Aug 18, 2011; 2:30 AM ET

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Bees don't have it easy.

Over the past few years, the insects have battled colony collapse disorder, pesticides and, a NASA researcher says, climate change.

Bees and other pollinators, like butterflies and birds, have found a protector. Dr. Robert "Butterfly Bob" Snetsinger gives them a home, at least in a three-acre field in State College, Pa.

Butterfly Bob worked as a doctor of entomology at Penn State for decades. Fifteen years ago, he started the butterfly garden with a local landowner in honor of their children, both of whom died at 17.

When Bob started the garden, the only plants growing were weeds leftover from agriculture on the field.

By planting plants, mostly native, to attract pollinators, the numbers of butterflies living in the garden has grown exponentially. Now community groups tend parts of the garden with him. Butterfly Bob and the master gardeners counted up to 34 species of butterflies in the garden, up from eight species 15 years ago.

Master gardeners from Penn State University Extension want people to start growing pollinator-friendly plants at home. And making a home for butterflies and bees isn't tough.

"If you have a condominium and everyone just put one pot of flowers on their balcony, that condominium then becomes an environment for pollinators," Master Gardener Pam Ford said.

Why do pollinators matter?

Three-quarters of the world's flowering plants depend on pollinators. At least 90 food crops eaten in North America depend on pollinators, including apples, strawberries and chocolate.

What Puts Pollinators in Danger

A changing climate

Unpredictable weather patterns disrupt the plant-pollinator relationship. Some plants have shorter bloom periods than they once did. Unseasonably cold or warm weather messes with a plant's growth.

Habitat destruction

When people build new houses and businesses, they take away the natural habitats of the insects. Big, grassy lawns and non-native plants aren't great for pollinators.

Invasive plants species

Some invasive plants grow very fast and take over the land. Because one species takes over the land, pollinators don't have food sources through the season.

Help Bring Pollinators to Your Yard: Plants for pollinators across the country

-Golden Rod

-Milkweeds

-Sunflowers

-Berry bushes