The Irma Booysen Flora Reserve comprises the broad area between the main road leading into Cape St Francis (R330) and the village itself. It can be accessed from various points in Cape St Francis and has well-marked intertwining routes through the reserve. The trees are marked for easy identification, and benches are placed throughout the reserve to enjoy the view over the headland with two points, unique in the world.
Conservation of the reserve was due to the late Irma Booysen, wife of the founder of Cape St Francis Jim Booysen. Her family were the original owners of the farm Ongegunde Vryheid. During the development of the farm into a township, Irma persuaded her husband to set aside a tract of land for the preservation of the unique coastal fynbos (delicate bush) of the area. She was a great lover of nature and painted the many diverse species of plants in the Reserve.
The reserve is a mix of fynbos & thicket vegetation. Fynbos is the term given to the vegetation typical of the Southwestern Cape, where wet winter rains and hot, dry summers occur. The term ‘fyn’ denotes the fine structure of the leaves of most fynbos plants. The fynbos in this region are called dune fynbos and are particularly rich in species. Many are endemic (occur nowhere else) to the local region. Unfortunately, it is highly fragile and easily destroyed or altered by human activities.
Thicket differs fundamentally from fynbos in all respects. Thicket plants are more nutritious than fynbos shrubs to browsing animals such as bushbuck. Therefore, many thicket shrubs are armed with vicious spines that slow down the rate at which their leaves and stems are eaten.
A walk in the Reserves at springtime will convince you of the fact that the Cape Floral Kingdom has the most species. A myriad of interesting insects, reptiles, small animals and birds also inhabit the Reserve.
