Glasswinged butterfly (Greta Oto) in butterfly park "Vlinders aan de Vliet", Netherlands.

This butterfly park is a 90 minute drive for us, and this was our first visit. Beforehand, I had been admiring photos from the park made by others. It looked like macro paradise, showcasing enormous quantities of exotic butterflies.

Maybe we visited at the wrong time, but we managed to find only about 10 species, not the hundred or so that we expected. Having circled the greenhouse 3 times, we were about to leave. It was nice, it was fun, but we were expecting more highlights.

Right as I was about to put away my camera, I noticed a blink in the air, something small and reflective passing by me about a metre away. As it settled down, I saw it: it was the mission butterfly. No, it is not called like that. It is the single butterfly that made me visit the park, the one that would make me forget all others, or lack of others.

My girlfriend saw it on my face. The grumpy sweaty man instantly turned into a happy little kid, chasing a small butterfly with an oversized camera. We were NOT leaving.