A photographer captured the exact moment a squirrel stopped to smell a daisy
- Photographer Dick Van Duijn captured the exact moment a squirrel stopped to smell a daisy.
- Van Duijn, who lives in the Netherlands, told Insider that he traveled to Vienna, Austria, specifically to photograph ground squirrels.
- It took Van Duijn two hours and 200 photos to capture the picture-perfect moment, which has since gone viral.
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Photographer Dick Van Duijn captured the exact moment a squirrel stopped to smell a yellow daisy.
Van Duijn, 34, told Insider that he traveled from the Netherlands to Vienna, Austria, so that he could photograph ground squirrels.
It took him two hours and 200 photos to capture the picture-perfect moment.
One photo shows the squirrel touching the flower, curiously examining it.
"There were a lot of curious squirrels, so it was hard not to photograph them," he said. "To capture one with a flower like this took a lot of patience and shots."
The next picture shows the squirrel clutching the flower to its chest, closing its eyes as it takes in the scent.
"The moment the squirrel smelled the flower and planted his face in the flower, I knew this was the picture of a lifetime!" Van Duijn said.
Van Duijn also captured the moment the squirrel leaned in to take a bite of the daisy after smelling it.
Van Duijn said it was an incredible thing to witness and capture on camera.
"I felt really happy and satisfied with the shot," he added.
Van Duijn's photos have since gone viral across the globe. He believes their popularity is partly due to people's disconnect from nature.
"I think people don't spend enough time in nature because of the lifestyle we have developed in the west," he said.
"When people are reminded about how beautiful and cute nature can be, they'll feel better about themselves and the world around them."
Van Duijn said he hopes his photos will inspire people "to go out and visit nature more often."
"Nature is endless, so the subjects for my pictures are endless as well," the photographer said. "You can never finish photographing all that there is to see."
"That provides me with inspiration for a lifetime."