The Giant Darner (Anax walsinghami) is usually considered among the largest dragonflies in North America. It occurs in the southwest U.S. as well as parts of western Mexico and southward to the Honduras. In 2004, a population of this species was discovered in the central Texas county of Travis, very near Austin. Through July, 2005, the species has remained locally common at this particular spot, fully 300 miles east of the closest known populations in west Texas. The two shots here of a male from the Travis Co. population are posed photos. These darners are seldom encountered perched, so wild shots are very difficult to come by. The shots were taken with a Canon EOS 1 D Mark II and 300 mm F/4 L IS lens and 580 flash.