Wow!

We were walking on the path overlooking the ocean when something black flew past and caught my attention. It was small, less than an inch and a half from head to bottom, and flighty. I got a glimpse of a startling turquoise body and a furry red head and shoulders. Please, please land; oh how I wanted to see it up close. We stopped by a clump of bamboo-like plants to watch, and were well rewarded. As cars and bikes zoomed past and groups of people strolled along, I was hanging from the fence, poking my camera in the bushes and trying to get as close as possible to these wondrous creatures.

I've spent way too much time on line trying to identify this guy--you'd think a turquoise body and a bright red chenille head would be distinctive markings, but apparently not. I'm pretty sure it's a moth because the antenna don't have little knobs on the ends like butterflies do; it's also resting with wings folded flat to the body. That is the sum total of what I know about moths.

Before I started to post here, I sent the image to bugguide.net. They rarely disappoint. It is Ctenucha rubroscapus/multifaria, but I don't know how to say it. Cee-tenucha? Stenucha? It is enough to have seen such glorious color.