Wild coyotes ain’t the half of it. “We have surprises here,” says Isabel Wade, head of the San Francisco Neighborhood Parks Council, touting our status as—who knew?—a UNESCO-certified biodiversity hotspot called the Golden Gate Biosphere Reserve. “Three freshwater lakes, 33 native species of plants, animals, fish, and insects in danger of extinction, and 5,000 acres of parkland within the second most dense city in the U.S.,” says Wade. No wonder we can’t find enough wildflower guides for our shelves, or tell enough urban raccoon stories. This year, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) is raising the stakes: It’s holding a contest to see who can spot the most endan­gered species around GGNRA land. (Visit ggnrabigyear.org/bigyear.html to join in.) Here, the best places to sharpen your eye.

In addition to a playground and a golf course, you’ll find grasslands, creeks, and wetlands at John McLaren Park—and maybe even such S.F. natives as the gray fox, anise swallow­tail, and forktail damselfly. Access the park on Mansell Street between Sunnydale and Visitacion Avenues in Visitacion Valley.

Covering 36 acres on the hillside div­iding the Haight and the Castro neighborhoods, Buena Vista is San Francisco’s oldest park. It also hosts one of the city’s few remaining live-oak groves, where hikers often spot raptors, hawks, sapsuckers, brown creepers, and nut­hatches, among others. Access the park at Buena Vista Avenue West and Haight Street, in the upper Haight-Ashbury district.

The 15,000 feet of hiking trails on Mount Davidson, San Francisco’s highest point (925 feet), yield a dazzling wildflower display. The forest of cypress and blue gum trees is also a good place for bird watching, says Peter Brastow, founding director of the conservation group Nature in the City. “Plus, you’ve got terrific views across Twin Peaks to downtown.” Access the trails from Dalewood Way and Myra Way in West Portal.

At Corona Heights Park, you’re only a mile away from Civic Center, with great views of the financial district and the Bay Bridge. You’ll also have a chance of seeing an endangered butterfly: the miss­ion blue. Access the park at Roosevelt Way and

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