By the numbers: Morton Arboretum trolls stomp into Lisle

A half-dozen colossal wooden trolls will make their home this summer at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle as part of the inaugural large-scale U.S. exhibition by Danish artist Thomas Dambo.

Starting June 22, visitors to the 1,700-acre outdoor woody-plant museum at 4100 Route 53 will be able to roam the trails and woods as part of a Troll Hunt to find the larger-than-life guardians of the forest.

But even before the exhibit officially opens, arboretum visitors will be able to watch Dambo and his team create the trolls over six to eight weeks in May and June as they use hundreds of pieces of reclaimed wood, including battered boards, fallen trees and branches, and the remains of pallets and packing crates.

Most of the trolls will linger in plain sight, but at least one will be hidden among the trees.

“People around the world have admired Thomas Dambo's large-scale recycled wood creations in his native Denmark and on social media, and we are thrilled to host his first large-scale artist-in-residence exhibition in the United States,” said Sue Wagner, vice president of education and information at the arboretum.

“His trolls and the story behind them - that they are protectors of our forests - will amaze and intrigue visitors of all ages, while drawing attention to how humans can better care for trees and the environment in which we live.”

The trolls are expected to remain on display at the arboretum into the new year.

All sorts of information is available by visiting mortonarb.org/troll-hunt, but here are some numbers that will help you dazzle your friends when visiting the exhibit ...

6: The number of trolls that will emerge from the arboretum's woods.

1: The number of troll hideouts secreted away among the arboretum's trees.

7: The number of weeks Dambo and his crew will work to create the trolls. Visitors can watch the work as it takes place weekdays from May 7 to June 21.

15 to 20: The trolls' height in feet.

8: The number of countries that have exhibited Dambo's sculptures.

360: The number of wooden pallets that will be used to construct the trolls.

4,267: The number of miles that already-completed pieces of troll faces, hands and feet have traveled from the artist's Copenhagen studio to the arboretum.

69: The width in inches of a troll's head from ear to ear.

57: The length in inches of a troll's foot.

84,000: The number of screws that will used to build the trolls.