Arizona has a very high diversity of Lepidopterans, which is the insect order that contains butterflies and moths. Even after 15 years here, I still am periodically surprised and pleased at the discovery of new species of things that I have never seen before, such as this beautiful large, fuzzy moth about 2 inches/5 cm across the wingspan. Drab gray when the wings are folded for camouflage, the upper surface of the hind wings and the underpart of the fore wings are a lovely rose color with black eyespots. The feathery antennae are appealing to the human eye, but more importantly to the moths they are designed to help detect tiny concentrations of airborne pheromones that bring males and females together for the purposes of breeding.
What delicate beauty and intricate architecture to the moth – from feathery antennae to the tiny colored scales that impart the color to the wings, the hairy legs and the compound reflective eyes – it’s a marvel of ecological design and beauty. It’s a lovely little being! They may look a bit fierce with those densely hairy legs and bodies, but these moths are entirely harmless.
After some help from an entomologist friend in Tucson, we have an identification. This species is Hubbard’s small silk moth, Sphingicampa hubbardi. The caterpillars feed upon catclaw acacia and mesquite and other legumes, and they are as pretty as the adult moth. I think another good common name might be watermelon moth, although that probably won’t and perhaps shouldn’t catch on. 
A photo of the caterpillar phase of the “watermelon moth” (I sort of want that to catch on anyway!) obtained via Pinterest on the web. I am not sure of the original photographer, sorry. The food plant appears to be a foothills palo verde (Parkinsonia microphylla). Another common name for the moth appears to be mesquite moth, obviously named for one of its preferred larval food plants.
Two very different moth species with roughly the same shade of rose pink on their wings. The small moth is Mojavia achemonalis.
This specimen was drawn to my porch light on Thursday, August 28, 2014. Normally I do not have any lights on outside at night, but I keep on the porch for a few hours on nights when I am working in the nursery and when the moon is not full enough to provide an alternate light source for nocturnal insects to fixate upon. Providing a light will draw the bugs (mostly much smaller and more drab species of moth and beetle) away from my headlamp, keeping them from fluttering madly in my face and driving me crazy. But since I do not want to actually kill the insects, I make sure to turn the light off once finished working so that they can disperse back into the desert to conduct their natural activities. But while the powerful floodlights are on they can attract some species that are much larger and less commonly seen, like the Hubbard’s silk moth, which enables me to enjoy and appreciate those as a side-benefit.
I believe that the feathery antennae indicate that this is a male moth. The large surface area of the finely-dissected antennae projections are designed to provide extra sensitivity to capture minuscule amounts of attractant pheromones that females emit when they are ready to breed. Female moths of many species have club-shaped antennae, and the males who need to find them have feathered ones. At least I think I recall this correctly…. if not, please say so in the comments!