Name: Catmint/Robin PNW WA half hour south of Olym (Zone 8a)
Flapdoodle also agreed that this one looks like Sphex pensylvanicus, Great Black Wasp!
The larvae feed on katydids that the parent paralyzes and leaves for them in a nest.
"One of the pleasures of being a gardener comes from the enjoyment you get looking at other people's yards”
― Thalassa Cruso
