The Serge Hill project in Bedmond, Hertfordshire, a therapeutic resource for local schools, community groups and charities, has become a habitat for shieldbugs and other invertebrates. The project, founded three years ago by Tom and Sue Stuart-Smith, features a diverse collection of drought-tolerant plants.
These plants, including Crete scabious, thrived during a recent summer without being watered. Young hairy shieldbug nymphs (Dolycoris baccarum) have been observed camouflaged on the seed heads of Crete scabious.
The project's plant library, which includes over 2,500 herbaceous perennials, low shrubs and bulbs, has recorded almost 350 invertebrates, including five species of shieldbug. The planting of Mediterranean species like Crete scabious is part of the project's research into climate-resilient landscapes.