HAYDEN — If you have ever wondered what a dragonfly looks like at 50 times its actual size, now you can see for yourself.

The new "Dusk and Dawn" public art, installed just north of Hayden City Hall last month and dedicated on the autumnal equinox, allows spectators to appreciate these winged wonders on a much larger scale.

"Dusk" is a sculpture of a chalk-fronted corporal dragonfly (ladona Julia) balancing on blades of Idaho blue-eyed grass. Its reddish hue represents the warmth of the setting sun.

"Dawn" is a pronghorn clubtail dragonfly (gomphus graslinellus) perched on a flowering stalk of hooded ladies' tresses. The blue of the dragonfly represents the coolness of the early morning as dawn approaches.

"Not a whole lot of places have giant dragonflies," said William Grant Turnbull, the Wisconsin artist who created "Dusk and Dawn" with artist Laura Richards. "I want people to be able to look at the small details of the world around them and appreciate them in a different way. It's easy to do when they're this big."

He said many times, artists of the American West focus on larger, more impressive animals, such as cougars and eagles. But as a huge fan of insects, Turnbull said he has been waiting for the opportunity to take the usually tiny creatures and "blow them up large."

"I think they’re absolutely stunning, I love them," said Judy Hooks, who attended the dedication ceremony. "They're absolutely gorgeous."

Both the dragonflies and the vegetation on which they are perched are indigenous to North Idaho; in the summers, the pronghorns can be found skimming ponds and streams while the corporals can be found near acidic waters such as marshes and peat bogs.

They are perched in what is called the "obelisk position," a basking stance that helps them regulate their body temperatures. Turnbull said he worked closely with entomologists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to sculpt them as scientifically accurate as possible.

"At this scale, you can actually see how not flat dragonfly wings are,” he said. “That’s really kind of the most beautiful thing about them. They’re almost an origami fan-folded shape."

Another special piece of "Dusk and Dawn" is the wing placement. The dragonflies' hind wings face directly east and west — where the sun is on the equinoxes — and the front wings point to where the sun rises and sets on the solstices. This was configured using Hayden's latitude.

The structures were fabricated from food-grade stainless steel and blown glass and are illuminated at night. The project was led by the Hayden Arts Commission and completed in collaboration with the city of Hayden and the Hayden Urban Renewal Agency.

"I think it’s great that 'Dusk and Dawn' were erected because I believe they suit Idaho very well," said Casey Cox, who attended the dedication. "If not Idaho itself, then Coeur d’Alene, Hayden, Rathdrum and the people of it. Many could say they have an interest in nature and this is a perfect example of that."